Rapid removal of arsenic from water using metal oxide doped recyclable cross-linked chitosan cryogel

Abstract

Arsenic (As) contamination in drinking water is a global concern. Development of facile and low cost As remediation system is of significant social and economic interest. Here, we report a cost-effective and water-stable transition metal oxide doped cross-linked chitosan cryogel for highly sensitive removal of As ion from potable water. Sample aliquots were tested for total arsenic by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. It was found that the sorption kinetics follows Freundlich isotherm model. We observe remarkably high arsenic removal efficiency (76%) with only 2 h of contact time with cryogel. The scaffold materials can be easily regenerated with acetone. The high removal efficiency of As metal and recyclability of this novel synthesized metal oxide doped cross linked chitosan cryogel render them a potential candidate for low cost arsenic removal based filter development.