Hydrous Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Modified Activated Carbon(HCO-AC) As a Multifunctional Adsorbent for As(III), As(V) & Pb(II) Removal

In the current study, a multifunctional adsorbent based upon hydrous cerium oxide nanoparticles modified activated carbon (HCO-AC) was successfully synthesized, and systematically investigated for As (III), As (V) and Pb (II) removal from aqueous solutions. The adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm, pH and co-existing ions effects were studied with repect to As (III), As (V) and Pb (II) removal. Characterization techniques such as SEM, XPS and FT-IR were as well performed to study the adsorbent structure and adsorption mechanisms. It was found that adsorption equilibrium could all be reached within the first 12 hours, and the adsorption capacity could reach up to 34.25 mg-As (III)/g, 44.64 mg-As (V)/g, and 45.45 mg-Pb (II)/g, respectively. Generally the adsorption process would be retarded owing to the existence of common co-existing anions and humic acid. However, it is noteworthy that the co-existence of humic acid could considerably enhance the adsorption capacity of HCO-AC on Pb (II).