Characterization of Coprecipitates of As(III) and Fe(II) in the Presence of Phyllosilicate Nanoparticles

Phyllosilicate nanoparticles play an important role in regulating the biogeochemical processes of Fe(II) and As(III) in paddy soils due to their high mobility and activity. In the present work, two prepared muscovite nanoparticles with different sizes (LNPs and SNPs) were used to investigate the effect of the size of phyllosilicate nanoparticles on the coprecipitation of Fe(II) and As(III) during oxidation process. The results showed that muscovite nanoparticles could significantly promote the removal of Fe(II) and As(III) during coprecipitation process. The formation of crystalline iron oxide and oxidation of As(III) tended to be suppressed by the two muscovite nanoparticles, and the suppression increased as muscovite nanoparticle size decrease. The findings of this study provide a contribution to understanding the roles of the natural phyllosilicate nanoparticles in regulating the biogeochemical processes of Fe and As elements in polluted paddy soils.