Effectiveness of various sorbents and biological oxidation in the removal of arsenic species from groundwater

The AsIII and AsV adsorption capacity of biochar, chabazite, ferritin-based material, goethite and nano zero-valent iron was evaluated in artificial systems at autoequilibrium pH (i.e. MilliQ water without adjusting the pH) and at approximately neutral pH (i.e. TRIS-HCl, pH 7.2). At autoequilibrium pH, iron-based sorbents removed 200 μg L-1 As highly efficiently whereas biochar and chabazite were ineffective. At approximately neutral pH, sorbents were capable of removing between 17 and 100 % of AsIII and between 3 and 100 % of AsV in the following order: biochar < chabazite < ferritin-based material < goethite < nano zero-valent iron. Chabazite, ferritin-based material and nano zero-valent iron oxidised AsIII to AsV and ferritin-based material was able to reduce AsV to AsIII. When tested in naturally As-contaminated groundwater, a marked decrease in the removal effectiveness occurred, due to possible competition with phosphate and manganese. A biological oxidation step was then introduced in a one-phase process (AsIII bio-oxidation in conjunction with AsV adsorption) and in a two-phase process (AsIII bio-oxidation followed by AsV adsorption). Arsenite oxidation was performed by resting cells of Aliihoeflea sp. strain 2WW, and arsenic adsorption by goethite. The one-phase process decreased As in groundwater to 85 %, whereas the two-phase process removed up to 95 % As, leaving in solution 6 μg L-1 As, thus meeting the World Health Organization limit (10 μg L-1). These results can be used in the scaling up of a two-phase treatment, with bacterial oxidation of As combined to goethite adsorption