Efficiency of Iron-Based Oxy-Hydroxides in Removing Antimony from Groundwater to Levels below the Drinking Water Regulation Limits

Konstantinos Simeonidis, Vasiliki Papadopoulou, Sofia Tresintsi, Evgenios Kokkinos, Ioannis A. Katsoyiannis, Anastasios I. Zouboulis and Manassis Mitrakas
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Konstantinos Simeonidis: Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasiliki Papadopoulou: Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Sofia Tresintsi: Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Evgenios Kokkinos: Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ioannis A. Katsoyiannis: Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Anastasios I. Zouboulis: Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Manassis Mitrakas: Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 2, 1-11

Abstract: This study evaluates the efficiency of iron-based oxy-hydroxides to remove antimony from groundwater to meet the requirements of drinking water regulations. Results obtained by batch adsorption experiments indicated that the qualified iron oxy-hydroxide (FeOOH), synthesized at pH 4 for maintaining a high positive charge density (2.5 mmol OH − /g) achieved a residual concentration of Sb(III) below the EU drinking water regulation limit of 5 μg/L by providing an adsorption capacity of 3.1 mg/g. This is more than twice greater compared either to similar commercial FeOOHs (GFH, Bayoxide) or to tetravalent manganese feroxyhyte (Fe-MnOOH) adsorbents. In contrast, all tested adsorbents failed to achieve a residual concentration below 5 μg/L for Sb(V). The higher efficiency of the qualified FeOOH was confirmed by rapid small-scale column tests, since an adsorption capacity of 3 mg Sb(III)/g was determined at a breakthrough concentration of 5 μg/L. However, it completely failed to achieve Sb(V) concentrations below 5 μg/L even at the beginning of the column experiments. The results of leaching tests classified the spent qualified FeOOH to inert wastes. Considering the rapid kinetics of this process (i.e., 85% of total removal was performed within 10 min), the developed qualified adsorbent may be promoted as a prospective material for point-of-use Sb(III) removal from water in vulnerable communities, since the adsorbent’s cost was estimated to be close to 30 ± 3.4 €/10 3 m 3 for every 10 μg Sb(III)/L removed.

Keywords: antimony; drinking water; adsorption; iron oxy-hydroxides; column tests; surface charge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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