Rapid photooxidation and removal of As(III) from drinking water using Fe-Mn composite oxide

Fe-Mn composite oxide (FMO) is widely applied to the oxidation and removal of As(III) from water. However, As(III) can directly reduce manganese oxides, decreasing the oxidation capacity or reusability and thereby greatly limiting the applicability of FMO. Here, the oxidation capacity and reusability of FMO for As(III) were efficiently improved by light radiation, and the effect of typical coexisting ions (SO42- and Ca2+) on the removal of As(III) was also studied. O2•- produced from excited manganese oxide and ligand-to-metal charge transfer in iron oxide-As(III) complex enhanced As(III) oxidation and removal under light radiation. At an initial As(III) concentration of 1000 μg L-1, the total As concentration was respectively decreased to 11.5, 1.5 and 4.4 μg L-1 under darkness, UV light and sunlight at 180 min, and could be reduced to below the guideline limitation of drinking water (10 μg L-1) within 40 and 60 min under UV light and sunlight, respectively. SO42- exhibited negligible effect on As removal efficiency because FMO had obviously lower adsorption capacity and selectivity for SO42- than for As(V). The adsorption of coexisting Ca2+ on manganese oxide decreased the negative charge on the FMO surface, thereby improving As(III) adsorption and oxidation. FMO exhibited excellent reusability, and a total As removal efficiency of 99.1% was still maintained after five cycles of an adsorption-desorption process under UV light. This work elucidates the photochemical oxidation and removal mechanism of FMO for As(III), and proposes a low-cost and efficient method for the detoxification of As(III)-contaminated drinking water.