Perchlorate removal by acidified zero-valent aluminum and aluminum hydroxide

Removal of perchlorate using either acid-washed zero-valent aluminum or aluminum hydroxide was studied in batch reactors under ambient temperature and pressure. Approximately 90–95% of perchlorate was removed within 24 h in the presence of 35 g L−1 aluminum at acidic pH (4.5 ± 0.2). Although aluminum is a strong reductant, this study indicated no explicit evidence to support perchlorate reduction while it was found that an adsorption process is involved in the perchlorate removal. The adsorbed perchlorate ions were desorbed effectively using a 1.0 N MgSO4 solution. The effective composition for the perchlorate adsorption is confirmed as aluminum hydroxide (bayerite), which is a product of the aluminum corrosion. Rapid adsorption of perchlorate was observed in the presence of aluminum hydroxide. The perchlorate adsorption by aluminum hydroxide is dependent on the solution pH. The removal mechanism can be attributed to the ion-pair formation at the aluminum hydroxide surface.