Chemosphere, 92(2): 196-200, 2013 The original publication is available at: http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.03.024 Abstract Sand filters devised with iron-rich adsorbents are extensively promoted and deployed in the arsenic-prone south and south-east Asian countries (e.g. Bangladesh). The approach offers superior performance in removing arsenic while the spent sludge from the sand filters is an issue of concern due to the possibility of toxic releases after being discarded. In this work, a new technique is proposed for the treatment of spent iron-oxide coated sand (IOCS) from filters used in arsenic removal. Chelant-washing of the arsenic-loaded IOCS is combined with the solid phase extraction treatment to accomplish the objective. The unique point of the proposed process is the cost-effective scheme, which includes the option of recycling of the washing solvent beside the decontamination of the spent arsenic-rich sludge.
KeywordsArsenic removal; Sand filter; Iron-oxide coated sand (IOCS); Spent sludge; Chelant washing 2 Chemosphere, 92(2): 196-200, 2013 The original publication is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.03.024
IntroductionContamination of groundwater with arsenic is reported from a number of countries of the world, and the largest population at risk is in Bangladesh, followed by West Bengal in India (Mohan and Pittman, 2007). The major natural source of arsenic in the groundwater is the leaching from geological formations (Vaishya and Gupta, 2003). Several methods are proposed for end-of-the-pipe treatment of the arsenic-contaminated groundwater to be used for drinking purpose, including ion exchange resins, membranes and adsorption onto coagulated flocs or sorptive media (Mohan and Pittman, 2007). Public water treatment facilities are uncommon in the rural areas of the developing countries (e.g. Bangladesh), and some of these techniques may need to be scaled down for private use. Furthermore, simplistic design, minimum maintenance or operating cost are some factors that require to be considered (Rozell, 2010). Arsenic removal by low-cost adsorbents has been the most promising technique which meets all the mentioned criteria offering reliable and efficient performance (Hsu et al., 2008). In the arsenic-prone south and south-east Asian countries, the present focus on arsenic removal is the use of iron-containing adsorbents as they are both economical and effective (Ramaswami et al., 2001). Household filters for arsenic removal using iron-rich adsorbents are deployed and evaluated in a number of reports (Khan et al., 2000;Sutherland et al., 2002;Cuda, 2005;Hussam and Munir, 2007;Anjali et al., 2008;Petrusevski et al., 2008).Amorphous iron oxide or ferrihydrite, a common coating of subsoil particles, possess a high adsorption capacity for different ions, including arsenic (Pierce and Moore, 1982).Quartz sand coated with iron salts has also been used for the removal of arsenic from groundwater (Joshi and Chaudhuri, 1996). Sorptive filtration using sand coa...