Removal of Arsenic Using a Cationic Polymer Gel Impregnated with Iron Hydroxide

Summary

In this work, we prepared an adsorbent composed of the cationic N,N-dimethylamino propylacrylamide methyl chloride quaternary (DMAPAAQ) polymer gel and iron hydroxide for adsorbing arsenic from groundwater. The gel was prepared via a novel method designed to ensure the maximum content of iron particles in its structure.

Abstract

In this work, we prepared an adsorbent composed of a cationic polymer gel containing iron hydroxide in its structure designed to adsorb arsenic from groundwater. The gel we selected was the N,N-dimethylamino propylacrylamide methyl chloride quaternary (DMAPAAQ) gel. The objective of our preparation method was to ensure the maximum content of iron hydroxide in the structure of the gel. This design approach enabled simultaneous adsorption by both the polymer structure of the gel and the iron hydroxide component, thus, enhancing the adsorption capacity of the material. To examine the performance of the gel, we measured reaction kinetics, carried out pH sensitivity and selectivity analyses, monitored arsenic adsorption performance, and conducted regeneration experiments. We determined that the gel undergoes a chemisorption process and reaches equilibrium at 10 h. Moreover, the gel adsorbed arsenic effectively at neutral pH levels and selectively in complex ion environments, achieving a maximum adsorption volume of 1.63 mM/g. The gel could be regenerated with 87.6% efficiency and NaCl could be used for desorption instead of harmful NaOH. Taken together, the presented gel-based design method is an effective approach for constructing high-performance arsenic adsorbents.

Introduction

Water pollution is a great environmental concern, motivating researchers to develop methods for removing contaminants such as arsenic from wastewaster¹. Among all the reported methods, adsorption processes are a relatively low cost approach for heavy metal removal^2,3,4,5,6,7. Iron oxyhydroxide powders are considered to be one of the most efficient adsorbents for extracting arsenic from aqueous solutions^8,

Protocol

CAUTION: Arsenic is extremely toxic. Please use gloves, long sleeve clothing, and experimental goggles at all times during the experiment to prevent any contact of arsenic solution with the skin and eyes. If arsenic comes into contact with any part of your body, wash it immediately with soap. Additionally, please clean up the experimental surroundings regularly so that you and others do not come into contact with arsenic, even when the experiment is not being performed. The symptoms of arsenic exposure may appear after a.......

Discussion

The main advancement of our developed method is the unique design strategy of the gel composite. The purpose of our gel preparation method was to maximize the amount of iron content in the gel. During the preparation, we added FeCl₃ and NaOH to the “initiator solution” and the “monomer solution,” respectively. Once the monomer solution was mixed with the initiator solution, there was a reaction between FeCl₃ and NaOH, producing FeOOH inside the gel. This phenomenon ensured ma.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
N,N’-dimethylamino propylacrylamide, methyl chloride quaternary (DMAPAAQ) (75% in H2O)	KJ Chemicals Corporation, Japan	150707
N,N’-Methylene bisacrylamide (MBAA)	Sigma-Aldrich, USA	1002040622
Sodium sulfite (Na2SO3)	Nacalai Tesque, Inc., Japan	31922-25
Sodium sulfate (Na2SO4)	Nacalai Tesque, Inc., Japan	31916-15
Di-sodium hydrogenarsenate heptahydrate(Na2HAsO4.7H20)	Nacalai Tesque, Inc., Japan	10048-95-0
Ferric chloride(FeCl3)	Nacalai Tesque, Inc., Japan	19432-25
Sodium hydroxide(NaOH)	Kishida Chemicals Corporation, Japan	000-75165
Ammonium peroxodisulfate (APS)	Kanto Chemical Co. Inc., Japan	907W2052
Hydrochloric acid (HCl)	Kanto Chemical Co. Inc., Japan	18078-01
Sodium Chloride (NaCl)	Nacalai Tesque, Inc., Japan	31320-05