Study on Speciation of As, Cr, and Sb in Bottled Flavored Drinking Water Samples Using Advanced Analytical Techniques IEC/SEC-HPLC/ICP-DRC-MS and ESI-MS/MS.

The main aim of the research was to develop a complementary analytical approach consisting of bespoke speciation analysis and non-targeted speciation analysis of As, Sb, and Cr in flavored bottled drinking water samples using HPLC/ICP-DRC-MS and ESI-MS/MS. The scope of two previously developed analytical procedures, (1) multielemental speciation procedure for AsIII, AsV, CrVI, SbIII, and SbV analysis and (2) arsenic speciation procedure for AsB, AsIII, DMA, MMA, and AsV quantification, was extended to the analysis of a new sample type in terms of bespoke speciation analysis. As for the non-targeted speciation, analysis size exclusion chromatography was used with ICP-MS and a complementary technique, ESI-MS/MS, was used for the organic species of As, Sb, and Cr screening. Full validation of procedures 1 and 2 was conducted. Procedure 1 and 2 were characterized with precision values in the range from 2.5% to 5.5% and from 3.6% to 7.2%, respectively. Obtained recoveries ranged from 97% to 106% and from 99% to 106% for procedures 1 and 2, respectively. Expanded uncertainties calculated for procedures 1 and 2 ranged from 6.1% to 9.4% and from 7.4% to 9.9%, respectively. The applicability of the proposed procedures was tested on bottled drinking water samples. Results for the real samples in procedure 1 were in the range from 0.286 ± 0.027 [µg L-1] to 0.414 ± 0.039 [µg L-1] for AsIII, from 0.900 ± 0.083 [µg L-1] to 3.26 ± 0.30 [µg L-1] for AsV, and from 0.201 ± 0.012 [µg L-1] to 0.524 ± 0.032 [µg L-1] for SbV. CrVI and SbIII were not detected in any sample. As for procedure 2, results were in the range from 0.0541 ± 0.0053 [µg L-1] to 0.554 ± 0.054 [µg L-1] for AsB. Results for AsIII and AsV obtained with procedure 2 were in good accordance with results obtained with procedure 1. DMA and MMA were not detected in any sample.

Separation of six compounds including two n-butyrophenone isomers and two stibene isomers from Rheum tanguticum Maxim by recycling high speed counter-current chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography.

Six compounds including two n-butyrophenone isomers and two stibene isomers were obtained from Rheum tanguticum Maxim. Two n-butyrophenone isomers with a separation factor of 1.14 were successfully separated by recycling high-speed counter-current chromatography after ten cycles. Two stibene isomers were successfully separated by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that the purities of the compounds were all over 98%. These compounds were identified as lindleyin, isolindleyin, resveratrol-4'-O-(2″-O-galloyl)-glucopyranoside, resveratrol-4'-O-(6''-O-galloyl)-glucopyranoside, emodin 1-O-ß-d-glucoside, and 3,5-dihydroxy-4'-methoxystilbene-3-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside. The results indicated that recycling high-speed counter-current chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography could be effective combination for the preparation of bioactive compounds from Rheum tanguticum Maxim.

Antimony contamination, consequences and removal techniques: A review.

A significant amount of antimony (Sb) enters into the environment every year because of the wide use of Sb compounds in industry and agriculture. The exposure to Sb, either direct consumption of Sb or indirectly, may be fatal to the human health because both antimony and antimonide are toxic. Firstly, the introduction of Sb chemistry, distribution and health threats are presented in this review, which is essential to the removal techniques. Then, we provide the recent and common techniques to remove Sb, including adsorption, coagulation/flocculation, membrane separation, electrochemical methods, ion exchange and extraction. Removal techniques concentrate on the advantages, drawbacks, economical efficiency and the recent achievements of each technique. We also take an overall consideration of experimental conditions, comparison criteria, and economic aspects.

Numerical simulation and exploration of electrocoagulation process for arsenic and antimony removal: Electric field, flow field, and mass transfer studies.

In order to intuitively and clearly evaluate the potential and current distribution, the fluid flow and mixing, as well as mass transfer involved in electrocoagulation process for As and Sb removal, numerical simulation of electric field, flow field and mass transfer were constructed by Comsol Multiphysics and verified by experiments. Results displayed that the primary current and potential distribution were improved by changing electrode distance or adding insulator in a batch reactor. When configuration 2 and 2 cm electrode distance were applied, a more uniform primary current distribution and higher electrode current efficiency were obtained. In a continuous flow reactor, the increase of flow rate resulted in the left shift of the peak in residence time distribution curve, gradual decrease of the tailing area, reduction of the stagnation zone, and more uniform mixing of the fluid. However, higher than 0.043 L/min was unfavorable to the formation of flocs and its effective combination with pollutants. According to the simulation of mass transfer, at the initial stage, the rate of electrolysis/hydrolysis was greater than that of mass transfer. Fe2+, OH-, and Fe(OH)2 were primarily concentrated on the anode, cathode, and between the two electrodes, respectively. Under the action of electromigration, diffusion and convection, the concentration distribution of Fe(OH)2 increased at the direction of streamline. The concentration of Fe2+ and OH- achieved the minimum value at the outlet. However, Fe(OH)+ concentration and distribution were hardly affected by the treatment time, and once generated, immediately proceed to the next hydrolysis reaction.

Removal of Antimonite (Sb(III)) and Antimonate (Sb(V)) from Aqueous Solution Using Carbon Nanofibers That Are Decorated with Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2).

Zirconium oxide (ZrO2)-carbon nanofibers (ZCN) were fabricated and batch experiments were used to determine antimonite (Sb(III)) and antimonate (Sb(V)) adsorption isotherms and kinetics. ZCN have a maximum Sb(III) and Sb(V) adsorption capacity of 70.83 and 57.17 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption process between ZCN and Sb was identified to be an exothermic and follows an ion-exchange reaction. The application of ZCN was demonstrated using tap water spiked with Sb (200 µg/L). We found that the concentration of Sb was well below the maximum contaminant level for drinking water with ZCN dosages of 2 g/L. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that an ionic bond of Zr-O was formed with Sb(III) and Sb(V). Based on the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, Sb(III) formed Sb-O and O-Zr bonds on the surface of the tetragonal ZrO2 (t-ZrO2) (111) plane and monoclinic ZrO2 planes (m-ZrO2) (111) plane when it adsorbs. Only an O-Zr bond was formed on the surface of t-ZrO2 (111) plane and m-ZrO2 (111) plane for Sb(V) adsorption. The adsorption energy (Ead) of Sb(III) and Sb(V) onto t-ZrO2 (111) plane were 1.13 and 6.07 eV, which were higher than that of m-ZrO2 (0.76 and 3.35 eV, respectively).

Antimony(V) removal from water by hydrated ferric oxides supported by calcite sand and polymeric anion exchanger.

We fabricated and characterized two hybrid adsorbents originated from hydrated ferric oxides (HFOs) using a polymeric anion exchanger D201 and calcite as host. The resultant adsorbents (denoted as HFO-201 and IOCCS) were employed for Sb(V) removal from water. Increasing solution pH from 3 to 9 apparently weakened Sb(V) removal by both composites, while increasing temperature from 293 to 313 K only improved Sb(V) uptake by IOCCS. HFO-201 exhibited much higher capacity for Sb(V) than for IOCCS in the absence of other anions in solution. Increasing ionic strength from 0.01 to 0.1 mol/L NaNO3 would result in a significant drop of the capacity of HFO-201 in the studied pH ranges; however, negligible effect was observed for IOCCS under similar conditions. Similarly, the competing chloride and sulfate pose more negative effect on Sb(V) adsorption by HFO-201 than by IOCCS, and the presence of silicate greatly decreased their adsorption simultaneously, while calcium ions were found to promote the adsorption of both adsorbents. XPS analysis further demonstrated that preferable Sb(V) adsorption by both hybrids was attributed to the inner sphere complexation of Sb(V) and HFO, and Ca(II) induced adsorption enhancement possibly resulted from the formation of HFO-Ca-Sb complexes. Column adsorption runs proved that Sb(V) in the synthetic water could be effectively removed from 30 microg/L to below 5 microg/L (the drinking water standard regulated by China), and the effective treatable volume of IOCCS was around 6 times as that of HFO-201, implying that HFO coatings onto calcite might be a more effective approach than immobilization inside D201.

The adsorption of Sb(III) in aqueous solution by Fe2O3-modified carbon nanotubes.

A novel kind of iron oxide supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was prepared for adsorption of antimony (Sb)(III) in aqueous solution. The iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3)-modified CNTs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Parameters affecting the adsorption efficiencies, including solution pH value, initial Sb(III) concentration, adsorbent dosage, adsorption time and temperature, were investigated. The results indicate that the removal rate of Sb(III) by Fe2O3-modified CNTs is 99.97% under the initial Sb(III) concentration of 1.5 mg/L, adsorbents dosage of 0.5 g/L, temperature of 25 (o)C and pH value of 7.00, which is 29.81% higher than that of the raw CNTs. The adsorption capacity increased correspondingly from 3.01 to 6.23 mg/g. The equilibrium adsorption data can be fitted to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. In addition, it has been found that the solution pH values and adsorption temperatures have no significant influence on Sb(III) removal.

Quantification of toxic metals derived from macroplastic litter on Ookushi Beach, Japan.

The potential risk of toxic metals that could leach into a beach environment from plastic litter washed ashore on Ookushi Beach, Goto Islands, Japan was estimated by balloon aerial photography, in situ beach surveys, and leaching experiments in conjunction with a Fickian diffusion model analysis. Chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), and lead (Pb) were detected in plastic litter collected during the beach surveys. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fishing floats contained the highest quantity of Pb. Balloon aerial photography in conjunction with a beach survey gave an estimated mass of Pb derived from plastic litter of 313 ± 247 g. Lead leaching experiments on collected PVC floats showed that Pb in the plastic litter could leach into surrounding water on the actual beach, and that plastic litter may act as a "transport vector" of toxic metals to the beach environment. Using the experimental data, the total mass of Pb that could leach from PVC plastic litter over a year onto Ookushi Beach was estimated as 0.6 ± 0.6 g/year, suggesting that toxic metals derived from plastic beach litter are a potential "pathway" to contamination of the beach environment due to their accumulation in beach soil over time.

Fractionation of Sb and As in soil and sludge samples using different continuous-flow extraction techniques.

The fractionation of Sb and As in soil and sludge samples had been comparably studied using two continuous-flow systems: a microcolumn (MC) and a rotating coiled column (RCC). The leachants were applied in correspondence with a five-step sequential extraction scheme addressing water-soluble, non-specifically sorbed, specifically sorbed, and bound to amorphous and crystalline Fe/Al oxide fractions of Sb and As. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy was applied to determine antimony, arsenic, and major elements in the effluent and in the residual fractions after their digestion. Resemblances and discrepancies of the two methods were evaluated by the fractionation of Sb and As in forest soil, river sludge, and dumped waste (soil) samples. For the forest soil sample, which is very poor in organic matter, RCC and MC extractions yielded similar quantitative values of As and Sb contents in individual leachable fractions. However, for the river sludge sample with a moderate concentration of C (org) (3.3 %), the results obtained by both continuous-flow methods are in satisfactory agreement. RCC extraction enabled water-soluble and non-specifically sorbed As fractions to be recovered, whereas after MC leaching, these environmentally relevant forms of As were not detected. For the soil rich in organic matter (C(org) = 11.5 %), the discrepancy between the data of RCC and MC fractionations is significant. RCC extraction provides about six times higher recoveries of As and Sb bound to amorphous Fe/Al oxides. More efficient leaching of As and Sb in RCC may be attributed to the migration of organic-rich particles with low density inside the column that might enhance the mixing of the solid and liquid phases.

Removal of antimonate ions from an aqueous solution by anion exchange with magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide and the formation of a brandholzite-like structure.

A magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide intercalated with NO(3)(-) (NO(3)•Mg-Al LDH) removed Sb(V) in solution. The antimony (Sb) removal increased with time and with an increasing molar ratio of Al/Sb, i.e., the quantity of NO(3)•Mg-Al LDH. The removal of Sb(V) in solution by NO(3)•Mg-Al LDH was not due to the reaction of Sb(V) with dissolved Mg(2+) but was rather caused by anion exchange between Sb(V), i.e., Sb(OH)(6)(-), in an aqueous solution and NO(3)(-) in the interlayer of the Mg-Al LDH. The intercalation of Sb(OH)(6)(-) in the interlayer of Mg-Al LDH is thought to result in the formation of a brandholzite-like structure. Some Sb(OH)(6) (-) was likely adsorbed on the surface of the NO(3)•Mg-Al LDH. The efficiency of the Sb removal decreased in the following order, irrespective of the reaction time: NO(3)•Mg-Al LDH ≈ Cl•Mg-Al LDH > SO(4)•Mg-Al LDH > CO(3)•Mg-Al LDH. The removal of Sb by SO(4)•Mg-Al LDH and Cl•Mg-Al LDH was also caused by anion exchange between Sb(V), i.e., Sb(OH)(6) (-), in an aqueous solution and SO(4)(2-) and Cl(-) in the interlayer of Mg-Al LDH, which formed a brandholzite-like structure due to the intercalation of Sb(OH)(6)(-) into the interlayer. In the case of SO(4)•Mg-Al LDH, hydrogen bonds between the Mg-Al LDH-positive host layer and Sb(OH)(6)(-) were probably stronger than the electrostatic force of attraction between the Mg-Al LDH-positive host layer and SO(4)(2-). The results suggested that Cl•Mg-Al LDH was as effective as NO(3)•Mg-Al LDH for the treatment of Sb(V) in aqueous solutions.

Antimony(V) removal from water by iron-zirconium bimetal oxide: performance and mechanism.

A Fe-Zr binary oxide adsorbent has been successfully synthesized using a co-precipitation method. It showed a better performance for antimonate (Sb(V)) removal than zirconium oxide or amorphous ferric oxide. The experimental results showed that the Fe-Zr adsorbent has a capacity of 51 mg/g at an initial Sb(V) concentration of 10 mg/L at pH 7.0. Sb(V) adsorption on the Fe-Zr bimetal oxide is normally an endothermic reaction. Most of the Sb(V) adsorption took place within 3 hr and followed a pseudo second-order rate law. Co-existing anions such as SO4(2-), NO3(-) and Cl(-) had no considerable effects on the Sb(V) removal; PO4(3-) had an inhibitory effect to some extent at high concentration; while CO3(2-) and SiO4(4-) showed significant inhibitory effects when they existed in high concentrations. The mechanism of Sb(V) adsorption on the adsorbent was investigated using a combination of zeta potential measurements, XPS, Raman, FT-IR observations and SO4(2-) release determination. The ionic strength dependence and zeta potential measurements indicated that inner-sphere surface complexes were formed after Sb(V) adsorption. Raman and XPS observations demonstrated that both Fe-OH and Zr-OH sites at the surface of the Fe-Zr adsorbent play important roles in the Sb(V) adsorption. FT-IR characterization and SO4(2-) release determination further demonstrated that the exchange of SO4(2-) with Sb(V) also could promote the adsorption process. In conclusion, this adsorbent showed high potential for future application in Sb(V) removal from contaminated water.

Sorption behavior of florisil for the removal of antimony ions from aqueous solutions.

Florisil was employed for the sorption of antimony ions from aqueous solutions. A detailed study of the process was performed by varying the sorption time, pH, and temperature. The sorption was found to be fast, equilibrium was reached within 15 min. Moreover, a maximum sorption has been achieved from solution when the pH ranges between 1-10. From kinetic experiments it follows that the process correlate with the second-order kinetic model. The overall rate process appears to be influenced by both boundary layer diffusion and intra-particle diffusion. The Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) type sorption isotherms can be applied to fit and interpret the sorption data. The mean energy of adsorption (9.73 kJ mol(-1)) was calculated from the Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) adsorption isotherm at room temperature. Furthermore, the thermodynamic parameters for the sorption were also determined, and the deltaH0 and deltaG0 values indicate a spontaneous endothermic behavior.

Removal of antimony from antimony mine flotation wastewater by electrocoagulation with aluminum electrodes.

Antimony (Sb) has received increasing environmental concerns due to its potential toxic and carcinogenic properties. In the present work, the electrocoagulation technique was used to treat the flotation wastewater from a heavy antimony polluted area, and the mechanism of removing Sb was also investigated. The study focused on the effect of operation parameters such as current density, initial pH and standing time on the Sb removal efficiency. Antimony concentration of below 1 mg/L in the treated wastewater was achieved, which meets the emission standards established by State Department of Environmental Protection and State Administration of China for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine of China.

Solid-phase extraction of antimony using chemically modified SiO2-PAN nanoparticles.

A new analytical method using 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN)-modified SiO2 nanoparticles as solid-phase extractant has been developed for the preconcentration of trace amounts of Sb(III) in different water samples. Conditions of the analysis such as preconcentration factor, effect of pH, sample volume, shaking time, elution conditions, and effects of interfering ions for the recovery of the analyte were investigated. The adsorption capacity of nanometer SiO2-PAN was found to be 186.25 micromol/g at optimum pH and the LOD (3sigma) was 0.60 microg/L. The extractant showed rapid kinetic sorption. The adsorption equilibrium of Sb(III) on nanometer SiO2-PAN was achieved in 10 min. Adsorbed Sb(III) was easily eluted with 4 mL 2 M hydrochloric acid. The maximum preconcentration factor was 62.20. The method was applied for the determination of trace amounts of Sb(III) in various water samples (tap, mineral water, and industrial effluents).

Antimony and arsenic leaching from secondary lead smelter air-pollution-control residues.

Environments in the vicinity of the lead (Pb) smelters are contaminated by emissions containing high concentrations of antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As). Air-pollution-control (APC) residues from bag-type filters from a secondary Pb smelter were subjected to leaching experiments to elucidate the controlling mechanisms of Sb and As release. Kinetic batch leaching tests at a liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio of 10 L kg(- 1) within the time frame of 720 hours and batch leaching at various L/S ratios (ranging from 1 to 1000 L kg(-1)) were performed. In contrast to other inorganic contaminants (Pb, Cd, Zn), less than 1% of the total Sb and As content was leached from the residues. At a L/S ratio of 10, the As and Sb concentrations in the leachates exceeded the EU limit values for non-hazardous waste (0.2 and 0.07 mg L(-1) ). According to PHREEQC-2 calculations, the concentrations of As and Sb are controlled by the precipitation of complex arsenates and antimonates mainly at low L/S ratios. The washing and related chemical/mineralogical transformation of APC residues was suggested as a technological pre-treatment process before their re-smelting in a blast furnace. The Ferrox-like processing of the resulting contaminated process water/leachate was simulated using the PHREEQC-2 code. Significant reduction was obtained in the concentration of some key contaminants (As, Cu, Pb, Zn) related to sorption on newly formed hydrous ferric oxides, whereas Sb and Cd exhibited only limited attenuation.

Antimony mobility from E-waste plastic in simulated municipal solid waste landfills.

The fate of antimony (Sb) leached from electronic and electrical equipment plastic when disposed of in a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill was assessed using simulated anaerobic landfill lysimeters and three different batch leaching tests: toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), EPA method 1313, and MSW leachate extractions. Plastic from cathode ray tube televisions sets was noted to have the highest Sb concentrations, and was thus the focus of the study. Sb leachability from EPA 1313 stat and TCLP were similar at approximately 0.1% by weight at the same pH (4.93), while MSW landfill leachates extracted less Sb at approximately 0.02% by weight. Solution pH was not the controlling factor, and other conditions resulting from the landfill leachate resulted in lower concentrations of leached Sb. In simulated landfill experiments, Sb leached at approximately 0.01% by weight after a liquid-to-solid ratio of 3. Sb behaves differently in the landfill environment than arsenic leaching from a similar study, most likely from the reducing conditions brought on by the decomposing waste.

Leaching behavior of Sb and Br from E-waste flame retardant plastics.

The improper disposal of E-waste flame retardant plastics laden with antimony (Sb) and bromine (Br) has brought enormous environmental hazards, however, rare information on the effective removal of Sb and Br is available. In this study, through building an alkaline sulfide system under hydrothermal conditions, Sb and Br were simultaneously extracted from flame retardant plastic with high efficiency of 85.60% and 90.13%, respectively. Sulfur ion through mass transfer reacted with encapsulated Sb2O3 to form safe and non-toxic SbS33-. Alkaline solution trapped the Br through substitution or neutralization reaction to inhibit the formation of brominated organic compounds. The results showed that the optimum temperature, residence time, Na2S and NaOH concentration for hydrothermal removal of Sb and Br were 220 °C, 2 h, 50 g/L and 20 g/L. The results also revealed that both Na2S and NaOH played an interrelated role in the process of Sb removal. However, NaOH was the only factor controlling the process of debromination. Moreover, the FTIR structure of plastic after alkaline sulfide hydrothermal treatment remained unchanged, which implies that the treated plastic can be reused, and is an added advantage of this technology. The TG-DTG analysis proved the effectiveness of alkaline sulfide hydrothermal treatment in removing Sb and Br.

Ultra-rapid detoxification of Sb(III) using a flow-through electro-fenton system.

Environmental pollution caused by antimony (Sb) has attracted worldwide attention recently. Here, we employed a flow-through electro-Fenton system for the rapid and efficient detoxification of highly toxic Sb(III). A FeOCl modified carbon nanotube (CNT) filter served as functional cathode, where FeOCl as nanocatalyst promoted the generation of HO by facilitating effective Fe3+/Fe2+ cycling. Upon application of a proper potential, an ultra-rapid conversion of Sb(III) to less toxic Sb(V) can be achieved in situ just by a single-pass filtration (>99% within 2 s). Compared with the conventional batch reactor, the proposed system demonstrated ultra-rapid Sb(III) detoxification kinetics due to the convection-enhanced mass transport. The proposed flow-through E-Fenton system works effectively across a wide pH range (e.g., 3-9). EPR technique and radical quenching experiments indicate that HO and HO2 were the dominant radical species responsible for Sb(III) detoxification. At -0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl, a >96.4% Sb(III) conversion efficiency still can be achieved when challenged with 500 µg L-1 Sb(III)-spiked tap water. The as-produced Sb(V) can be removed effectively by another Sb(V)-specific CNT filter functionalized with nanoscale iron oxides. The outcome of this research provides a promising strategy by integrating state-of-the-art electro-Fenton, membrane separation, carboncatalysis and nanotechnology for detoxification of Sb(III) and other similar heavy metal ions in polluted water.

Simultaneous oxidation and removal of Sb(III) from water by using synthesized CTAB/MnFe2O4/MnO2 composite.

Low levels of antimony (Sb) can be effectively removed from water by adsorption onto various materials, and searching for low-cost and high-efficiency new adsorbents has been a hot topic in recent years. In the present study, the performance of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) modified MnFe2O4/MnO2 composites (CTAB/MnFe2O4/MnO2) as an adsorbent for Sb(III) removal from aqueous solution was investigated. Kinetic study revealed that adsorption of Sb(III) by CTAB/MnFe2O4/MnO2 was fast in the first 430 min and the equilibrium was achieved within 1440 min. The adsorption kinetic data were well fitted with pseudo-second-order model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the synthesized adsorbent for Sb(III) at pH 7 calculated from Langmuir adsorption isotherms in batch experiments was 321.03 mg g-1. During the adsorption process, Sb(III) can be simultaneously oxidized to Sb(V) and the average oxidation percentage reached 95.43% within 1440 min. The adsorption capacity did not significantly vary with pH. Common metal cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) slightly enhanced Sb(III) adsorption at pH 7. In comparison, the effect of anions (Cl-, NO3-, and PO43-) on Sb(III) adsorption was not obvious. The results suggest that CTAB/MnFe2O4/MnO2 is a potential cost-effective adsorbent for Sb(III) removal in water treatment.

Enhanced removal of antimony by acid birnessite with doped iron ions: Companied by the structural transformation.

In the environment, antimony as a priority control pollutant is mainly associated with Fe- or Mn- related minerals. In this work, acid birnessite (AB) doped with iron was synthesized as the artificial mineral to study the adsorption and oxidation of antimony. As compared to the pristine birnessite, Fe-doping birnessites show a markedly enhanced removal efficiency for both Sb(III) and Sb(V), where 10% Fe exhibited an excellent adsorption capacity of 759 mg/g Sb(III). The removal of Sb(III) clearly underwent a novel kinetic process of adsorption-desorption- (re-adsorption). By monitoring the kinetics with XRD, XPS, and IR, it is demonstrated that the three-stage kinetics were attributed to the strong interaction between Sb(III) and birnessite, including Sb(III) oxidation, followed by destruction of birnessite and then phase transformation into vernadite. Furthermore, the increase of iron content doped into birnessite enhanced the rate of its phase transition, which led to an increased adsorption of the oxidized antimony on the surface of vernadite by substituting iron and manganese associated with hydroxyl group. This work suggested that the strong interactions between heavy metal ions and mineral particles, more than adsorption, are critical to the transformation, mobility and biotoxicity of antimony in nature.