Ball-milled magnetite for efficient arsenic decontamination: Insights into oxidation-adsorption mechanism

Xiao Yang; Siyan Liu; Tao Liang; Xiulan Yan; Yunhui Zhang; Yaoyu Zhou; Binoy Sarkar; Yong Sik Ok

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128117

Ball-milled magnetite for efficient arsenic decontamination: Insights into oxidation-adsorption mechanism

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Apr 5:427:128117. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128117. Epub 2021 Dec 18.

Authors

Xiao Yang¹, Siyan Liu², Tao Liang², Xiulan Yan³, Yunhui Zhang⁴, Yaoyu Zhou⁵, Binoy Sarkar⁶, Yong Sik Ok⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
² Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: yanxl@igsnrr.ac.cn.
⁴ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
⁵ College of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
⁶ Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom.
⁷ Korea Biochar Research Center, O-Jeong Eco-Resilience Institute (OJERI) & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: yongsikok@korea.ac.kr.

PMID: 34974405
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128117

Abstract

Conventional adsorbents for decontaminating arsenic exhibit low efficacy for the removal of arsenite (As(III)). This study aims to develop a robust As adsorbent from natural magnetite (M₀) via a facile ball milling process, and evaluate their performance for decontaminating As(III) and As(V) in water and soil systems. The ball milling process decreased the particle size and crystallinity of M₀, resulting in pronounced As removal by the ball-milled magnetite (M_m). Ball milling under air facilitated the formation of Fe-OH and Fe-COOH functional groups on M_m interface, contributing to effective elimination of As(III) and As(V) via hydrogen bonding and complexation mechanisms. Synergistic oxidation effects of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, and reactive oxygen species (O₂^·-, and ·OH) on the transformation of As(III) to As(V) during the adsorption were proposed to explain the enhanced As(III) removal by M_m. A short-term soil incubation experiment indicated that the addition of M_m (10 wt%) induced a decrease in the concentration of exchangeable As by 30.25%, and facilitated the transformation of water-soluble As into residual fraction. Ball milling thus is considered as an eco-friendly (chemical-free) and inexpensive (scalable, one-stage process) method for upgrading the performance of natural magnetite towards remediating As, particularly for tackling the highly mobile As(III).

Keywords: Arsenic; Ball milling; Magnetite; Sustainable environmental engineering; Synergistic oxidation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Arsenic*
Decontamination
Ferrosoferric Oxide
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Water Purification*

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Arsenic
Ferrosoferric Oxide