Performance of a new magnetic chitosan nanoparticle to remove arsenic and its separation from water

Abstract

Removal performance of arsenic in water by a novel magnetic chitosan nanoparticle (MCNP) with a diameter of about 10 nm, including adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm, main influencing factors, and regeneration effects, was investigated. In addition, the effective separation way for MCNP particles and the new application mode were developed to prompt the application of MCNP. The results showed that MCNP exhibited excellent ability to remove As(V) and As(III) from water in a wide range of initial concentrations, MCNP removed arsenic rapidly with more than 95% of arsenic adsorbed in initial 15 min, and the whole process fitted well to the pseudo-second-order model. The Langmuir model fits the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich isotherm model and the maximum adsorption capacities of As(V) and As(III) were 65.5 mg/g and 60.2 mg/g, respectively. The saturated MCNP could be easily regenerated and kept more than 95% of initial adsorption capacity stable after 10 regeneration cycles. A new magnetic material separation method was established to separate MCNP effectively. The continuous-operation instrument developed based on the MCNP could operate stably and guarantee that the concentration of arsenic meets the guideline limit of arsenic in drinking water regulated by the WHO.