In field arsenic removal from natural water by zero-valent iron assisted by solar radiation.
An in situ arsenic removal method applicable to highly contaminated water is presented. The method is based in the use of steel wool, lemon juice and solar radiation. The method was evaluated using water from the Camarones River, Atacama Desert in northern Chile, in which the arsenic concentration ranges between 1000 and 1300 microg L(-1). Response surface method analysis was used to optimize the amount of zero-valent iron (steel wool) and the citrate concentration (lemon juice) to be used. The optimal conditions when using solar radiation to remove arsenic from natural water from the Camarones river are: 1.3 g L(-1) of steel wool and one drop (ca. 0.04 mL) of lemon juice. Under these conditions, removal percentages are higher than 99.5% and the final arsenic concentration is below 10 microg L(-1). This highly effective arsenic removal method is easy to use and inexpensive to implement.
Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Tarapacá, Casilla 7-D, Arica, Chile. lorenacp@uta.cl
Lorena
L
Cornejo
Hugo
H
Lienqueo
María
M
Arenas
Jorge
J
Acarapi
David
D
Contreras
Jorge
J
Yáñez
Héctor D
HD
Mansilla
D001151:Arsenic; D002677:Chile; D002957:Citrus; D003889:Desert Climate; D007501:Iron; D008027:Light; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D013472:Sunlight; D014873:Water Pollutants; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D014873:Water Pollutants; D007501:Iron; D001151:Arsenic