Removal of Aqueous Uranyl and Arsenate Mixtures after Reaction with Limestone, PO43–, and Ca2+

The co-occurrence of uranyl and arsenate in contaminated water caused by natural processes and mining is a concern for impacted communities, including in Native American lands in the U.S. Southwest. We investigated the simultaneous removal of aqueous uranyl and arsenate after the reaction with limestone and precipitated hydroxyapatite (HAp, Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂). In benchtop experiments with an initial pH of 3.0 and initial concentrations of 1 mM U and As, uranyl and arsenate coprecipitated in the presence of 1 g L^-1 limestone. However, related experiments initiated under circumneutral pH conditions showed that uranyl and arsenate remained soluble. Upon addition of 1 mM PO₄^3- and 3 mM Ca²⁺ in solution (initial concentration of 0.05 mM U and As) resulted in the rapid removal of over 97% of U via Ca-U-P precipitation. In experiments with 2 mM PO₄^3- and 10 mM Ca²⁺ at pH rising from 7.0 to 11.0, aqueous concentrations of As decreased (between 30 and 98%) circa pH 9. HAp precipitation in solids was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray. Electron microprobe analysis indicated U was coprecipitated with Ca and P, while As was mainly immobilized through HAp adsorption. The results indicate that natural materials, such as HAp and limestone, can effectively remove uranyl and arsenate mixtures.