ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Removal of Arsenic from Groundwater Using
Lamdong Laterite as a Natural Adsorbent
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1
Institute for Environment and Resources, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2
Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Environmental and Bio-Organic, University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
3
Department of Environmental Sciences, Saigon University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
4
NTT Institute of High Technology, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Submission date: 2018-11-22
Final revision date: 2019-01-18
Acceptance date: 2019-01-19
Online publication date: 2019-10-04
Publication date: 2020-01-16
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2020;29(2):1305-1314
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ABSTRACT
The current study investigated the efficiency of Lamdong laterite soil using a leaching fixed-bed
column, as an effective natural adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from Vietnamese groundwater. The
performance of laterite was compared to that of granular ferric hydroxide (GFH), a commercial adsorbent
used in arsenic removal. The effect of the parameters on this process under various operating conditions
was investigated, and the experimental data were modeled using the bed depth service time (BDST)
approach. According to the speciation studies, the groundwater contained 49.94% of particulate arsenic
and 50.06% of soluble arsenic. The As(III) and As(V) presented at 8.4% and 91.6%, respectively, in the
dissolved arsenic. The analysis of the pH value and initial arsenic concentration showed that laterite
removed more than 95% of the total arsenic from the groundwater and that the GFH material removed
99% of the arsenic at pH 3 and 0.47 mg As/L. Using a molar sodium hydroxide solution, laterite was
more regenable than GFH under the same experimental conditions. This suggests that natural laterite
can be used as an efficient and low-cost material to reduce arsenic contamination in groundwater used
for drinking.