Production of porous aluminium and iron sulphated oxyhydroxides using industrial grade coagulants for optimised arsenic removal from groundwater Yoann Glocheux a, *, Ahmad B. Albadarin a,b , Chirangano Mangwandi a , Emma Stewart a , Gavin M. Walker b a School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom. b Materials Surface Science Institute, Department of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, University of Limerick, Ireland. Introduction Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a critical situation for millions of people who rely on polluted wells for drinking water, everyday consumption and agricultural activities [1]. People exposed to arsenic rich groundwater involuntarily accumulate this poisonous compound internally, which can, in the long-term lead to the development of arsenicosis. One of the first symptoms of this disease is the development of skin cancer on the foot and hand; the cancer may eventually spread to internal organs resulting in organ failure [2]. It is estimated that 2.5 million, the number of people exposed to arsenic contaminated water, may develop arsenicosis in the next 50 years [3]. Several different methods have been used to remove dissolved arsenic from groundwater. Membrane techniques, flocculation– coagulation, co-precipitation with dissolved metal oxides and adsorption techniques are considered the most widely applied methods [4]. Adsorption technique is the main technique applied in removing arsenic from groundwater because of its simple maintenance, low running cost and above all, the good under- standing and familiarity of the technology by the local population, suppliers and engineering companies [5]. In order to increase the efficiency and lifetime of adsorption units, many researchers have developed innovative materials with enhanced adsorption capacity [6]. The materials developed to remove arsenic fall usually into: (i) a low cost option, (ii) a simple activation technic of low cost materials or the synthetic (iii) highly efficient sorbent option. Example of low cost materials includes the use of natural ores like Laterite, Bauxite or Ilmenite [7–9]; or the use of biosorbents like chitosan, chitin or biomass [10,11] as well as the use of industrial by-products like red mud or acid treated ore [12,13]. The main activation strategies that have been applied to materials for As removal include thermal activation [14] and chemical doping or activation [15]. The development of highly porous and/or reactive synthetic sorbents tailored towards As adsorption is also very often reported. Such as the production of iron and aluminium coated Organised Mesoporous Silica or highly porous zirconium oxides [16] and [17]. One of the major limitations in applying the developed materials from laboratory scale to on field application is related to both the cost of production of the highly efficient materials and the issue of securing the chemicals supply for these specific materials. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry xxx (2014) xxx–xxx * Corresponding author. Tel.: +442890975418; fax: +442890976524. E-mail address: yglocheux01@qub.ac.uk (Y. Glocheux). A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 23 April 2014 Received in revised form 13 October 2014 Accepted 14 October 2014 Available online xxx Keywords: Ferric aluminium sulphate Ferric sulphate Aluminium sulphate Iron oxyhydroxides Adsorption Arsenic removal A B S T R A C T The optimisation of Fe and Al oxyhydroxide materials produced using industrial grade coagulants is presented in this work. The effects of synthesis pH and post-synthesis washing procedure onto the arsenic adsorption capacity of the materials were investigated. It was shown that the materials produced at higher pH were more efficient in removing As(V), especially after cleaning procedure. The materials produced at lower pH were less efficient in removing As(V) but the higher presence of sulphate groups in the materials produced at lower pH enhanced As(III) adsorption. Most performing materials can remove up to 84.7 mg As(V) g 1 or 77.9 mg As(III) g 1 . ß 2014 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. G Model JIEC-2254; No. of Pages 11 Please cite this article in press as: Y. Glocheux, et al., J. Ind. Eng. Chem. (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2014.10.013 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry jou r n al h o mep ag e: w ww .elsevier .co m /loc ate/jiec http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2014.10.013 1226-086X/ß 2014 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.