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. 2025 Feb 6;11(3):e42505.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42505. eCollection 2025 Feb 15.

Removal of Arsenic(V) from wastewater using calcined eggshells as a cost-effective adsorbent

Pratikshya Poudel  1 , Davi Lal Parajuli  2 , Srijana Sharma  2 , Janaki Baral  1 , Megh Raj Pokhrel  3 , Bhoj Raj Poudel  1
Affiliations

Removal of Arsenic(V) from wastewater using calcined eggshells as a cost-effective adsorbent

Pratikshya Poudel et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

This study investigates calcined eggshells (CES) as an effective adsorbent for the remediation of As(V). Characterization of CES was performed using zeta potential analysis, FTIR, XRD and SEM-EDX. Batch studies were conducted to examine the effects of pH, adsorption kinetics, and adsorption isotherms to assess efficacy. The adsorption of As(V) followed the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics, with a maximum capacity of 91.05 mg g⁻1 at pH 6.0 and 298 K. The presence of additional anions such as chloride, sulfate, or nitrate had no significant impact on the biosorption of arsenate. However, the introduction of phosphate ions notably decreased the rate of arsenic adsorption. CES was easily regenerated with an alkaline solution and showed excellent reusability over four cycles. Thermodynamic studies confirmed the spontaneity and feasibility of the biosorption process. This study highlights that CES is a promising adsorbent for As(V) removal from contaminated water.

Keywords: Adsorption; Arsenate; Environmental applications; Wastewater treatment; Zeta potential.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Zeta-potential measurements of CES over a wide pH range.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
FTIR spectrum of the CES, and As(V) adsorbed CES.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
SEM image and EDX spectra of RES, CES, and As (V)-CES.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
EDX electron image, layered image and mapping images of all overlapping elements of CES before As(V) adsorption.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
EDX electron image, layered image, and mapping images of all overlapping elements of CES after As(V) adsorption.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
XRD pattern of RES and CES.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Non-linear kinetics plot for adsorption of As(V) onto CES.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Non-linear plot of isotherms for adsorption of As(V) onto CES at (a) 298 K; (b) 303 K, and (c) 313 K.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Variation of the % adsorption of As(V) in 5 cycles' adsorption-desorption process.
Image 1
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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