Removal of As(V) and Cr(VI) in aqueous solution by sand media simultaneously coated with Fe and Mn oxides

In this research, sand media simultaneously coated with iron and manganese (iron and manganese coated sand, IMCS) were applied to treat synthetic wastewater contaminated with both Cr(VI) and As(V). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) were used to characterize the surface properties of the coated layer of IMCS. Adsorption of Cr(VI) and As(V) onto IMCS followed a typical anionic type, showing a gradual decrease of adsorption as the solution pH increased. In a single system, IMCS showed a greater adsorption capacity for As(V) than that for Cr(VI) over the entire solution pH range. In a binary system, As(V) preferentially occupied the limited adsorption sites on IMCS and therefore Cr(VI) adsorption was suppressed. This result indicates that As(V) adsorption onto the surface of IMCS occurs through a strong chemical bonding such as an inner-sphere complex. As(V) adsorption onto the IMCS was well described by second-order kinetics. From the adsorption isotherm experiments at pH 4, the maximum adsorbed amount of Cr(VI) and As(V) onto IMCS in a single system was 102 mg/kg and 455 mg/kg, respectively.