Novel zirconia-halloysite nanotube material for arsenite adsorption from water

Drinking water contaminated with arsenic for a long time will lead to serious human health problems. In this work, to extract arsenite (As(III)) from water, zirconia (ZrO2) loaded on halloysite nanotubes (ZrO2/HNTs) was prepared. ZrO2 nanoparticles were well dispersed on ZrO2/HNTs, and the ZrO2 in this nanohybrid was present in a monoclinic phase. The nanohybrid demonstrated a strong As(III) adsorption capacity (36.08 mg/g) because of the large number of readily accessible hydroxyl groups and its large surface area. The As(III) adsorption on ZrO2/ HNTs matched the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model, and it was independent of the solution pH. Applying the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model verified that the As(III) removal processes were chemisorption reactions. Studies utilizing X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed that Zr-OH bonds had a significant role in the removal of As(III). In addition, the ZrO2/ HNTs nanohybrid demonstrated sufficient As(III) adsorption selectivity with the majority of common coexisting ions present. This research demonstrated the potential of ZrO2/HNTs as a material for the treatment of water polluted with arsenic.

Automated summary

Research has shown that zirconia loaded on halloysite nanotubes (ZrO2/HNTs) can effectively extract arsenic (As(III)) from water. The ZrO2/HNTs nanohybrid has a large surface area and abundant hydroxyl groups, which contribute to its high As(III) adsorption capacity. Furthermore, the nanohybrid exhibits sufficient selectivity towards As(III) even in the presence of common coexisting ions. The study highlights the potential of ZrO2/HNTs as a material for arsenic-contaminated water treatment.