Purification of arsenic-contaminated water with K-jarosite filters

Abstract

The high toxicity and potential arsenic accumulation in several environments have encouraged the development of technologies for its removal from contaminated waters. However, the arsenic released into aquatic environment comes mainly from extremely acidic mining effluents, making harder to find stable adsorbents to be used in these conditions. In this work, K-jarosite particles were synthesized as a stable adsorbent in acidic medium for eliminating arsenic from contaminated water. The adsorption capacities of K-jarosite for As³⁺, As⁵⁺, and monomethylarsonic acid were 9.45, 12.36, and 8.21 mg g⁻¹, respectively. Most arsenic in water was adsorbed within the first 10 min, suggesting the fast arsenic adsorption kinetics of K-jarosite particles. Because of that, a K-jarosite filter was constructed for purifying water at a constant flow. The K-jarosite filter was highly efficient to treat arsenic-contaminated water from a Brazilian river, reducing the concentration of arsenic in water to near zero. These data suggest the K-jarosite filter can be used as a low-cost technology for purifying arsenic-contaminated water in acidic medium.