Adsorption of fluoride, phosphate, and arsenate ions on a new type of ion exchange fiber

A new type of ion exchange fiber for the removal of fluoride, phosphate, and arsenate ions has been developed. A batch adsorption technique for investigating adsorption kinetic and equilibrium parameters and determining pH adsorption edges is applied. It is shown that the adsorption properties of the ion exchange fiber for fluoride, phosphate, and arsenate ions depend on the pH value and anion concentration. The adsorption of arsenate on the sorbent reaches a maximum of 97.9% in the pH value range of 3.5 to 7.0. The adsorption percentage of phosphate is more than 99% in the pH range of 3.0 to 5.5. The adsorption of fluoride on the ion exchange fiber is found to be 90.4% at pH 3.0. The Freundlich model can describe the adsorption equilibrium data of fluoride, arsenate, and phosphate anions. The sorption of the three anions on the ion exchange fiber is a rapid process, and the adsorption kinetic data can be simulated very well by the pseudo-second-order rate equation. The column performance is carried out to assess the applicability of the ion exchange fiber for the removal of fluoride, phosphate, and arsenate ions from synthetic wastewaters with satisfactory removal efficiency. The desorption experiment shows that fluoride ion sorbed by the fiber column can be quantitatively desorbed with 5 mL of 0.50 mol/L NaOH at elution rate of 1 mL/min, and 30 mL of NaOH is necessary for the quantitative recovery of phosphate and arsenate ions.