READ-As and GEH sorption materials for the removal of antimony from water

The objective of this work was to verify the sorption properties of granular filter materials (GEH, READ-As) during the process of removing antimony from water. The pilot tests showed that the use of sorption materials could possibly decrease the antimony content in water to the values limited for drinking water (5 μg/L Sb). A more suitable adsorbent for removing antimony was READ-As. At a concentration of antimony in raw water ranging from 21.5 to 31.1 μg/L, a filtration rate of 5.58 m/h, the value of the bed volume of 3,967, and the adsorption capacity of 128.4 μg/g, which was achieved at a breakthrough concentration of 5 μg Sb/L, were determined. The surface characteristics of the sorption materials used through the physical adsorption of nitrogen, mercury porosimetry, X-ray microanalysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were studied.