Arsenic (III) Removal from Aqueous Water by Indigenous Iron Ore Adsorbent from Balochistan Province of Pakistan

The work focuses on the removal of Arsenic-III (As(III)) from water sample by an indigenous iron ore from Balochistan by adsorption method. Three iron ore samples were analyzed by X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and a sample from Shikarap containing iron 36.2% was selected because it contained the highest amount of hematite. The batch study was conducted to examine the adsorption by iron ore and maximum adsorption was observed at pH 6, 1/2 g dose per 50 mL solution, contact time 2 hr and shaking speed 150 rpm. At the optimized conditions, the removal was 89% when monitored at 50 μg L-1 initial concentration of arsenic. The arsenic removal was monitored by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) using hydride generation. Dubinin - Radushkevich (D-R), Freundlich and Langmuir's isotherms were examined. The highest adsorption capacity of iron ore for As(III) removal was observed 13.67 μg g-1 by Langmuir model and Freundlich isotherm indicated good adsorption intensity with value n = 1.512. Thermodynamic parameters revealed that adsorption was exothermic and physisorption. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) techniques were applied to scan the surface morphology and the percentage elemental composition of samples respectively. SEM results demonstrated that Shikarap mineral grains are an oval shape and these were changed after the uptake of As(III). The EDX spectra of Shikarap mineral confirm the As(III) adsorption on particles as As 4.19%.