A review: The state-of-the-art of arsenic removal in wastewater

Abstract

Arsenic contamination resulted from the rapid development of various industries affecting the water resource quality worldwide. Because of the risk of arsenic exposure to both the environment and humans, specific arsenic wastewater treatment is required to meet the anticipated water quality standards. A better understanding of current technologies is crucial while addressing the limitations in order to develop more effective methods for arsenic removal. This work presents updates on adsorption by metal nanoparticles, electrocoagulation, photocatalysis, and membrane methods including nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and microfiltration, their advantages and limitations as well as the future direction of the wastewater treatment industry. Recent strategies using combination technologies show promising potential and present windows of opportunity to be tested in real life and large scale. Further research on these technologies is still required to assess the full potential of these technologies for arsenic removal able to shift the paradigm towards sustainability of tomorrow.