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Removal of Cr(VI) from Aqueous Solution by Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron Grafted on Acid-Activated Attapulgite

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Abstract

The nanoscale zero-valent iron grafted on acid-activated attapulgite (A-nZVI) was prepared by a liquid-phase reduction method and used for Cr(VI) removal from solution with enhanced efficiency. The structure of the composite A-nZVI was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis. nZVI was well-dispersed on the surface of acid-treated attapulgite, and no obvious aggregation was observed due to the support of rod-like structure of attapulgite, which is beneficial to Cr(VI) removal. Batch experiments revealed that the removal of Cr(VI) using A-nZVI was consistent with pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics, and removal efficiency was up to 98.73 % within 60 min for 100 mL 20 mg/L Cr(VI) at the initial pH 7.0 and 4.0 g/L A-nZVI. The pseudo-first-order rate constant k obs was independent of initial Cr(VI) concentration, but there was a good linearity (r 2 = 0.95) between k obs and the A-nZVI dosage. This study demonstrates that A-nZVI has the potential to become a promising material for in situ groundwater remediation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 21377056) and the research fund of Key Laboratory for Advanced Technology in Environmental Protection of Jiangsu Province (grant no. AE201319).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, People’s Republic of China

    Guixiang Quan, Jing Zhang, Jing Guo & Yeqing Lan

  2. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, People’s Republic of China

    Guixiang Quan

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  1. Guixiang Quan
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Correspondence to Yeqing Lan.

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Quan, G., Zhang, J., Guo, J. et al. Removal of Cr(VI) from Aqueous Solution by Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron Grafted on Acid-Activated Attapulgite. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 1979 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-1979-9

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