Electrosorption of As(III) in aqueous solutions with activated carbon as the electrode

Abstract The electrosorption of As(III) in aqueous solutions by using activated carbon (AC) as the electrode was studied in this work. This study was performed through the measurements of adsorption and desorption, Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). Three parameters, applied voltage, solution pH and initial As(III) concentration, on the electrosoprtion of As(III) were investigated. The experimental results have demonstrated that the electrosorption followed three steps: migration of As(III) to the anode, oxidation of As(III) to As(V) and accumulation of As(V) in the electric double layers of the anode. The electrodorption capacity increased with increasing applied voltage and initial As(III) concentration, whereas the effect of pH was complicated for the variation of arsenite species and the competition of OH−. The oxidation of As(III) increased with the increasing voltage and pH due to the increasing redox potential acted on As(III). The electrosorption served to reduce the toxicity of arsenic and was a promising technology for As(III) removal from water.