Removal of arsenic from aqueous solution by two types of nano TiO2 crystals

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a promising sorbent for As removal. There are two main and physico-chemically distinct polymorphs of TiO2 in nature, namely anatase and rutile. Since the difference of arsenic removal by the two polymorphs of TiO2 is now well known, study on the arsenic removal efficiency and the underlying mechanism is of great significance in developing new remediation strategies for As-polluted waters. Here batch experiments were carried out in combination with instrumental analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the effects, influential factors and mechanisms of As removal from aqueous solution by two types of nano TiO2 crystals. The adsorption behavior of anatase and rutile for As(V) and As(III) are well described by Freundlich equations. Anatase had higher As removal efficiency and adsorption capacity than rutile. Solution pH had no influence on the As adsorption of anatase TiO2, whereas the As removal by rutile TiO2 was increased by 7-18% with pH from 4 to 10. Presence of accompanying anions such as phosphate, silicate, nitrate and sulfate, decreased the As(V) and As(III) removal by both crystals, with phosphate being the most effective. However, removal of As by rutile TiO2 was greatly enhanced in the presence of divalent cations i.e. Ca2+ and Mg2+. Shading of light decreased the removal of As(V) and As(III) of anatase by 15.5% and 17.5%, respectively, while a slight increase of As removal was observed in the case of Rutile TiO2. FT-IR characterization of As(V) or As(III)-treated nano TiO2 crystals indicated that both Ti-O and As-O groups participated in As adsorption. Both FT-IR and XPS analysis demonstrated that As(III) was photooxidated into As(V) when adsorbed by anatase under the light condition. Thus, the effect of crystal types and light condition on As removal should be taken into consideration when nano TiO2 is applied for As removal from water.