title: A novel two-step coprecipitation process using Fe(III) and Al(III) for the removal and immobilization of arsenate from acidic aqueous solution.
abstract: Lime neutralization and coprecipitation of arsenate with iron is widely practiced for the removal and immobilization of arsenic from mineral processing effluents. However, the stability of the generated iron-arsenate coprecipitate is still of concern. In this work, we developed a two-step coprecipitation process involving the use of iron and aluminum and tested the stability of the resultant coprecipitates. The two-step Fe-As-Fe or Fe-As-Al coprecipitation process involved an initial Fe/As = 2 coprecipitation at pH4 to remove arsenic from water down to 0.25 mg/L, followed by introduction of iron or aluminum (Fe/As = 2, Al/As = 1.5 or 2). The two-step coprecipitates showed higher stability than traditional Fe/As = 4 coprecipitate under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Leaching stability was enhanced when aluminum was applied in the second step. The use of aluminum in the second step also inhibited microbial mediated arsenate reduction and arsenic remobilization. The results suggest that the two-step coprecipitation process is superior to conventional coprecipitation methods with respect to the stability of the generated arsenic-bearing solid waste. The use of Al in the second step is better than Fe to enhance the stability. This work may have important implications to the development of new technologies for efficient arsenic removal from hydrometallurgical solutions and safe disposal in both oxic and anoxic environment.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China. yongfeng.jia@iae.ac.cn
authors.forename: Yongfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Danni
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rongrong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Demopoulos
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000737:chemistry*; D017607:Aluminum Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D000536:Aluminum Hydroxide / Q000737:chemistry; D001149:Arsenates / Q000737:chemistry*; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D007700:Kinetics; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods; D056928:X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy
chemical_list: D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D001149:Arsenates; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C021024:ferric hydroxide; D000536:Aluminum Hydroxide; D000535:Aluminum; D007501:Iron; D001151:Arsenic