Eliminating
arsenic from drinking water
Chemistry World
28 January 2011
An iron-rich, porous material can remove
arsenic from drinking water in under two hours, say Chinese scientists.
Arsenic is notoriously toxic, proving
fatal to the majority of living organisms in high doses. Elevated levels of
arsenic in groundwater in countries such as
Now, Kang Li and colleagues from
Li believes that the recycling aspect holds the greatest challenge
for future practical applications for the material. 'If magnetic nanoparticles could be loaded in the channels of the
two-line ferrihydrite, recycling would become even
easier,' he says.
'The next step should be related
to the investigation of the mechanism and efficiency of arsenic removal by nanocrystalline iron oxides depending on their structure
and crystallinity,' says Radek
Zboril, an expert in nanocrystalline
iron oxides from
'The incorporation of arsenic
into the structure of the in situ formed iron oxide nanoparticles
seems to be a more promising way from the viewpoint of real
applications.'
Emma Shiells