Arsenic (III) removal from water by hydroxyapatite‐bentonite clay‐nanocrystalline cellulose

In the present study, natural, non‐toxic nano size adsorption material: hydroxyapatite‐bentonite clay‐nanocrystalline cellulose (CHA‐BENT‐NCC) was successfully prepared for As(III) removal from water solution. The efficiency of this composite material was investigated as a function of solution pH, time, As(III) concentration, and temperature. The chemical and morphological structures of adsorbent were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis of X‐rays (EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results of the kinetic study revealed that the adsorption rate was very high in the beginning and over 95% of As(III) removal was achieved within the first 5 min. The kinetics of As(III) on CHA‐BENT‐NCC complied with the pseudo‐first‐order model. The maximum uptake was 51.01 mg/g by Langmuir model and 48.99 mg/g by Dubinin–Radushkevich model. The preservation of As(III) specification was studied as function of time using three different storage method. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019