Interaction of anionic pollutants with Al-based adsorbents in aqueous media - A review

Many anionic pollutants (e.g., fluoride, nitrate and nitrite, bromate, phosphate, arsenate and arsenite, selenate and selenite, perchlorate) have been detected in surface and groundwater in different parts of the world and strict measures are being taken to minimize their concentrations and to control their mobility in aqueous media. Mineral surfaces, in general, have shown enhanced uptake of many anionic pollutants. Various phases of aluminum (Al) oxides, hydroxides and oxyhydroxide are increasingly being employed as adsorbents for the detoxification of water and wastewater contaminated with anionic pollutants. Understanding the structural properties and morphology of adsorbents is important in order to gain knowledge about the governing mechanism behind the adsorption of anions by these adsorbents. The adsorption ability of aluminum oxides, hydroxides and oxyhydroxide depends on several key factors including properties of the adsorbent (surface area, pore size, pH_pzc, porosity) and that of the adsorbates. This paper provides an overview of the physical and chemical properties of various aluminum oxides, hydroxides and oxyhydroxides and their application in water and wastewater treatment with the focus on the removal of anionic pollutants. Furthermore, the performance of these minerals and that of the synthetically prepared hybrid adsorbents (containing Al-minerals) for the adsorption of various anions has been reviewed with an emphasis on the behavior of adsorbent-water interface in presence of the anionic pollutants.