Title: Removal of arsenic from anthropogenic aqueous media: an analytical review with particular reference to solvent extraction technique

Authors: Zareena Begum Irfan; Bina Gupta; S.N. Tandon

Addresses: Madras School of Economics, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Chennai – 600025, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand – 247 667, India. ' Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand – 247 667, India

Abstract: Arsenic is an environmental toxicant, which is known to cause serious ailments to humans and its presence in drinking water poses grave threat to millions of people all over the world. Apart from being drinking water pollutant, arsenic poses another dimension of problem in the recovery of metals from some of the sulfide ores, namely copper pyrites and galena. These were the two main reasons to fascinate the authors' to review the removal techniques adapted in order to effectively remove arsenic. Analytically, the removal techniques based on solvent extraction is clean, convenient and cost effective. Hence, the authors have assessed the meaning efforts made to decontaminate metallurgical solutions and water from arsenic using various extractants. Over the years, a variety of commercial extractants including cyanex series have appeared in the market and one has replaced the other because of some advantages.

Keywords: arsenic removal; anthropogenic aqueous media; solvent extraction; cyanex series; drinking water; water pollution; extractants.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2012.047792

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2012 Vol.13 No.2/3, pp.127 - 138

Published online: 16 Aug 2014 *

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