Waste foundry dust (WFD) as a reactive material for removing As(III) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions

ABSTRACT This study evaluates the use of waste foundry dust (WFD) as a reactive material for mitigating water pollution using As(III) and Cr(VI) as model contaminants. A detailed structural characterization of WFD was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Batch removal experiments and kinetic studies for removal of both As(III) and Cr(VI) were conducted at various initial pH values (2 – 10), concentrations (1 – 100 mg/L), and solid-to-liquid ratios (2.5 – 125 g/L). The results show that WFD consisted of small (