Geosorption of As(III) from aqueous solution by red clays: kinetic studies.

The geosorption of As(III) on red clays from aqueous solution under different environmental conditions (i.e. initial concentration, pH and temperature) was studied. This process reached its equilibrium quickly (<120 min). A decrease of the percentage of adsorption was caused when the initial concentration was increased (0.1-10 mg As(III) L(-1)), in all the experimental pH levels (4-10). The optimal pH value for adsorption on red clays at 0.1 mg As(III) L(-1) was 10, while for 10 mg As(III) L(-1) was 4. There wasn't a significant effect of temperature on the As(III) adsorption. The kinetic pseudo-second order and the isothermal Langmuir were the models that best described the experimental data, suggesting an adsorption process in multistep. Likewise, there are not interactions between neighbor active sites on the red clay surface.