FeOOH-modified clay sorbents for arsenic removal from aqueous solutions

The presence of arsenic (As) in natural and anthropogenic soils causes severe pollution of groundwater due to its harmful carcinogenic effects. The present work describes the research activities for searching of appropriate innovative sorbents based on clay material for As sorption using iron oxy-hydroxide modification. Natural and manufactured clay was chosen for comparison of modification efficiency in order to obtain best sorption results for As(V). The results of pilot testing were obtained and the sorption was studied as a function of initial arsenic concentration. Obtained results indicate that modification of clay with Fe compounds significantly improves the sorption capacity of a newly developed material used for sorption of As(V). Efficiency of sorption for Fe-modified clay is highly dependent on clay type as well as iron content in it. Further perspectives of investigations are recovered during this study in order to create more efficient and relatively cheap sorbents for As removal from aqueous solutions. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.