Nanocomposites of graphene oxide-hydrated zirconium oxide for simultaneous removal of As(III) and As(V) from water

Abstract Hydrated zirconium oxide (ZrO(OH) 2 ) nanoparticles were modified with graphite oxide (GO) (denoted herein as GO–ZrO(OH) 2 ) by hydro-thermal co-precipitation reaction, and were used for the simultaneous removal of As(III) and As(V) from drinking water. The GO–ZrO(OH) 2 nanocomposites were characterized using Fourier transformer infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Zeta-potential, and specific surface area analysis. The size of ZrO(OH) 2 particles in GO–ZrO(OH) 2 is below 5 nm, and the specific surface area of GO–ZrO(OH) 2 is about 4 times that of ZrO(OH) 2 nanoparticles. The GO–ZrO(OH) 2 nanocomposites showed high adsorption capacity in a wide pH range, and the monolayer adsorption amounts calculated based on the Langmuir adsorption model were 95.15 and 84.89 mg/g for As(III) and As(V), respectively, which are 3.54 and 4.64 times that of ZrO(OH) 2 nanoparticles. The high adsorption capacity is attributed to good dispersion of ZrO(OH) 2 nanoparticles in the GO substrate. The GO–ZrO(OH) 2 nanocomposites can simultaneously remove As(III) and As(V) in water. Moreover, GO–ZrO(OH) 2 showed good anti-interference ability to co-existing anions, and exhibited excellent recyclability. The experimental results suggest that GO–ZrO(OH) 2 is a promising adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from drinking water.