Phosphate desorption kinetics from goethite as induced by arsenate

Abstract The kinetics of the arsenate-induced desorption of phosphate from goethite has been studied with a batch reactor system and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The effects of arsenate concentration, adsorbed phosphate, pH and temperature between 10 and 45 °C were investigated. Arsenate is able to promote phosphate desorption because both oxoanions compete for the same surface sites of goethite. The desorption occurs in two steps: a fast step that takes place in less than 5 min and a slow step that lasts several hours. In the slow step, arsenate ions exchange adsorbed phosphate ions in a 1:1 stoichiometry. The reaction is first order with respect to arsenate concentration and is independent of adsorbed phosphate under the experimental conditions of this work. The rate law is then r  =  k r [ As ], where r is the desorption rate, k r is the rate constant and [ As ] is the arsenate concentration in solution. The values of k r at pH 7 are 1.87 × 10 −5  L m −2  min −1 at 25 °C and 7.95 × 10 −5  L m −2  min −1 at 45 °C. The apparent activation energy of the desorption process is 51 kJ mol −1 . Data suggest that the rate-controlling process is intraparticle diffusion of As species, probably As diffusion in pores. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy suggests that adsorbed phosphate species at pH 7 are mainly bidentate inner-sphere surface complexes. The identity of these complexes does not change during desorption, and there is no evidence for the formation of intermediate species during the reaction.