173-Retention of As (III), F- and Microbes by Iron and Aluminum Oxide Coated Sand.

Abstract

The capacity of adsorption of arsenic, fluoride and microbes on iron and aluminum-oxides-coated quartz sand has been studied. The adsorption process has been described as Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. In all cases, Langmuir equation yields better fits than Freundlich equation. The covering quartz particles with Fe and Al oxides provide a high capacity adsorption and immobilization of As, F and microbes from groundwaters. Also, columns have been studied by using Fe and Al-oxides-coated quartz sand to examine the removal of AS (III), fluoride and microbes spiked to required concentrations in tap water. Performance observed by breakthrough cycles shows that Fe and Al oxides particles provide an excellent material for construction of As, F and microbes removal system for groundwaters. The characteristics of this material would allow the design of a complementary filtration system to reduce As, and microbes levels in the effluent, reducing contamination risks.