ZVI impregnation altered arsenic sorption by ordered mesoporous carbon in presence of Cr(VI): a mechanistic investigation

Abstract It is challenging to efficiently remove arsenate (As(Ⅴ)) and chromate (Cr(Ⅵ)) simultaneously. Herein, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) was fabricated with averaged pore diameter of 6.5 nm and surface area of 997 m2 g−1. Zerovalent iron (ZVI) impregnation reduced surface area of ZVI/OMC (432 m2 g−1) and increased ID/IG ratio by 13%. Maximal Cr(Ⅵ) and As(Ⅴ) sorption capacities at pH 3 were 0.66 and 0.019 mmol g−1 by OMC, and 0.71 and 0.39 mmol g−1 by ZVI/OMC, respectively. Reduction accounted for over 55% for Cr(Ⅵ) and As(Ⅴ) removal followed by complexation and precipitation. Better ZVI/OMC performance was ascribed to higher electron transfer rate and lower electrical resistance than OMC as per electrochemical analysis. Upon Cr(Ⅵ) introduction, As(Ⅴ) removal increased to 0.28 mmol kg−1 by OMC, but decreased to 0.16 mmol kg−1 by ZVI/OMC. OMC could preferably reduce CrO42− to Cr3+ by hydroxyl group, which enhanced its zeta potential facilitating As(Ⅴ) sorption. Regarding ZVI/OMC, Fe0 and Fe oxide in ZVI/OMC exhibited better affinity to As(Ⅴ), but the competition for the similar active sites resulted in compromised As(Ⅴ) and Cr(Ⅵ) removal. Thus, the novel OMC is advantageous for removal of binary As(Ⅴ) and Cr(Ⅵ), but ZVI/OMC is robust to detoxify single heavy metal.