Scorodite Synthesis in As(V)-Containing Fe(II) Solution in the Presence of Hematite as a Fe(III) Source

抄録

Stabilization of arsenic by precipitation of large crystalline scorodite (FeAsO₄·2H₂O) particles is considered to be a promising option for treating As(V) contained in industrial by-products. In this study, scorodite synthesis by direct addition of hematite particles as a Fe(III) source to Fe(II) solution containing As(V) was investigated with different initial Fe(II) concentrations. During scorodite formation, the Fe(II) concentration and pH of the reaction solution are almost constant, and the residual arsenic concentration in the solution is low. The initial Fe(II) concentration strongly affects scorodite formation, and larger faceted crystalline scorodite particles are obtained with higher initial Fe(II) concentration. The observed scorodite particle size is larger than that formed by the conventional DMSP method. Coarse faceted scorodite can also be obtained by direct addition of hematite powder to FeSO₄ solution with As(V). From the results of environmental leaching tests, O₂ gas blowing for a short time to convert the remaining unstable gel-like precursor to crystalline scorodite is very effective to prevent arsenic leaching. Furthermore, for the gel-like precursor formed in the initial stage of the scorodite synthesis process, chemical state analysis by X-ray absorption spectroscopy in the range of the X-ray absorption near-edge structure at the Fe K absorption edge for iron reveals that the precursor contains Fe(II) as well as Fe(III). This indicates that scorodite does not directly form from Fe(III) ions from hematite and arsenate ions from solution, but a gel-like precursor initially forms from Fe(II) ions in solution and is then converted to crystalline scorodite.