Arsenic adsorption mechanism on clay minerals and its dependence on temperature

In the present study, the As(V) removal efficiency of different clay minerals was investigated as a function of solution pH, time, As(V) concentration, and temperature. Arsenic mobility was also investigated by determining the As(V) released from the loaded samples by leaching with various aqueous solutions. The kinetics of adsorption was observed to be fast and reached equilibrium within 3 h. As(V) adsorption on studied clays was pH dependent and maximum adsorption was achieved at pH 5.0. The maximum adsorption capacity was calculated by fitting the Langmuir equation to the adsorption isotherrns and found to be 0.86, 0.64, and 0.52 mg As(V)/g of kaolinite, montmorillonite, and illite, respectively. The negative effect of temperature on As(V) adsorption showed the interactions to be exothermic. Based on the results, it was found that among the studied clay minerals, kaolinite was the best As(V) adsorbent and montmorillonite had strong retention capacity. The electrokinetic behavior of kaolinite and montmorillonite was modified in the presence of As(V), indicating that adsorption involves inner sphere surface complexation and strong specific ion adsorption.