Preparation of a novel alumina-based iron-manganese composite filter material and investigation of its enhanced arsenic removal performance

Currently, the complexity and enhanced treatment requirements of arsenic contamination in river water highlight the critical need for efficient filter materials. In this paper, a novel alumina-based iron-manganese composite filter material（RFM-3） is synthesized via hydrothermal method and evaluated for its performance in treating arsenic-contaminated wastewater. Advanced characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）, are employed to conduct a comprehensive characterization of the filter material’s morphology, crystalline structure, and surface chemistry. Results demonstrate that RFM-3 exhibited a nanostructured particle-supported configuration with a high specific surface area, where surface hydroxyl groups（—OH） play a dominant role in arsenic adsorption. RFM-3 achieves a significant arsenic removal rate of 95.63% at an initial arsenic concentration of 0.5 mg/L and maintained efficient removal across a pH value range of 4-10 and in environments with high ionic strength. Furthermore, the filter material retained its stability with only a 3% decrease in adsorption efficiency after undergoing 10 regeneration cycles, as confirmed by dynamic simulation experiments. In conclusion, RFM-3 is identified as a novel arsenic adsorbent with high efficiency and stability, showing considerable potential for practical applications.