Smectite-supported chain of iron nanoparticle beads for efficient clean-up of arsenate contaminated water

Highlights: • Novel smectite-supported nZVI composite was synthesised for arsenate removal. • TEM reveals nano iron-bead chain linking multiple clay layers together. • XPS analysis shows that Fe⁰ peak is prominent in nZVI and composite samples. • Removal efficacy of arsenate is relatively greater at acidic conditions. Prolonged exposure to inorganic arsenic (As) via drinking water is a major concern as it poses significant human health risks. Removal of As is crucial but requires effective and environment-friendly clean-up technology to avoid any additional risk to the environment. In this study, we developed Australian smectite (smec)-supported nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) composite for arsenate i.e., As(V) sorption. We used a range of tools, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and energy dispersion X-ray (EDS) spectroscopy to characterise the material. SEM and TEM images and elemental mapping of the composite reflect that the smectite layer was surrounded by a chain of iron nanobeads evenly distributed on clay particles, which is quite exceptional among currently available nZVIs. The maximum As(V) sorption capacity of this composite was 23.12 mg/g in the ambient conditions. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy we unveiled chemical states of As and Fe before and after the sorption process. Additionally, the release of iron nanoparticles from the composite at various pHs (3−10) were found negligible, which demonstrates the effectiveness of smec-nZVI to remove As(V) from contaminated water without posing any secondary pollutant.