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Arsenic (As) co-precipitation is one of the major processes controlling As solubility in soils and waters. When As is co-precipitated with Al and Mg, the possible formation of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and other nanocomposites can stabilize As in their structures thus making this toxic element less available. We investigated the nature and reactivity of Mg-Al-arsenate [As(V)] co-precipitated LDHs formed in solution affected by As concentration, pH, and aging. At the beginning of the co-precipitation process, poorly crystalline LDH and non-crystalline Al(Mg)-oxides form. Prolonged aging of the samples promotes crystallization of LDHs, evidenced by an increase in As K XANES intensities and XRD peak intensities. During aging Al- and/or Mg-oxides are likely transformed by dissolution/re-precipitation processes into more crystalline but still defective LDHs. Surface area, chemical composition, reactivity of the precipitates, and anion exchange properties of As(V) in the co-precipitates are influenced by pH, aging, and As concentration. This study demonstrates that (i) As(V) retards or inhibits the formation and transformation of LDHs and (ii) more As(V) is removed from solution if co-precipitated with Mg and Al than by sorption onto well crystallized LDHs.

Rice is comparatively efficient at assimilating inorganic arsenic (Asi), a class-one, non-threshold carcinogen, into its grain, being the dominant source of this element to mankind. Here it was investigated how the total arsenic (Ast) and Asi content of Italian rice grain sourced from market outlets varied by geographical origin and type. Total Cr, Cd Se, Mg, K, Zn, Ni were also quantified. Ast concentration on a variety basis ranged from means of 0.18 mg kg(-1) to 0.28 mg kg(-1), and from 0.11 mg kg(-1) to 0.28 mg kg(-1) by production region. For Asi concentration, means ranged from 0.08 mg kg(-1) to 0.11 mg kg(-1) by variety and 0.10 mg kg(-1) to 0.06 mg kg(-1) by region. There was significant geographical variation for both Ast and Asi; total Se and Ni concentration; while the total concentration of Zn, Cr, Ni and K were strongly influenced by the type of rice.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) show excellent capacity to sorb and exchange anions. Although arsenic (As) has a high affinity for sorbents containing Fe, only few studies have been carried out on the sorption of arsenite [As(III)] onto a Fe-based LDH. In this work we studied the sorption of As(III) onto a LDH containing Mg and Fe (Mg–Fe-LDH), as affected by: (i) pH; (ii) the presence of increasing concentrations of organic [citrate (CIT) and oxalate (OX)] and inorganic [phosphate (PO 4 ), selenite (SeO 3 ) and sulphate (SO 4 )] ligands, (iii) the effect of residence time on the desorption of As(III) by these ligands, and; (iv) the kinetics of desorption of As(III) by PO 4 . The As(III) sorption isotherms, carried out at different pHs, indicated a good affinity of the harmful oxyanion for the sorption sites of the Mg–Fe-LDH. This material was able to remove efficiently As(III) from contaminated solutions over a wide range of pH, but more in acidic than in alkaline systems. Competing ligands differently prevented the As(III) sorption on Mg–Fe-LDH, according to the following order: SO 4 3 4 . The desorption of As(III) by these anions decreased with increasing As(III) residence time on LDH surfaces. A comparison between the sorption/desorption of As(III) and As(V) on/from Mg–Fe-LDH in the presence or absence of anions highlights that less As(III) than As(V) is sorbed, whereas more As(III) than As(V) is desorbed by all the selected organic and inorganic ligands, but PO 4 .

Arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] sorption by Fe- and Al-based drinking-water treatment residuals (WTR) was studied as a function of particle size at different pHs, and in the presence of competing ligands, namely, phosphate, citrate, and oxalate. Both WTRs showed high affinity for As oxyanions. However, Al-WTR showed higher As(III) and As(V) sorption capacity than Fe-WTR because of their greater surface area. The effect of particle size on As sorption was pronounced on Fe-WTR, where the smaller fraction sorbed more As(III) and As(V) than the larger fractions, whereas relatively minor effects of particle size on As sorption was observed for Al-WTR. Arsenite sorption on both WTRs increased with increasing pH up to circum-neutral pHs and then decreased at higher pHs, whereas As(V) sorption decreased steadily with increasing pH. The capacity of competing ligands to inhibit sorption was greater for As(III) than As(V) on both WTRs (particularly on Al-WTR) following the sequence: oxalate.

We have studied the uptake and distribution of arsenic (As) and phosphorus (P) in roots, shoots and berries of tomato plants, grown on uncontaminated soil, irrigated with As-contaminated solutions at four concentrations (0, 0.5, 2 and 4 mg L -1 ), in presence or absence of P fertilization.The biomass of tomato plants decreased with increasing As concentration in irriga-tion water, especially tomato berries. In addition, the reduction of biomasses was significantly greater in plants non-fertilized with P. The beneficial effect generated with the P addition indicated that this nutrient played an important role in alleviating As toxicity in tomato plants. The higher the As concentration in irrigation water the higher the As concentration in plant tissues; most of the As absorbed by plants was accumulated in their roots. Phosphorus application has allowed to reduce As trans-location toward tomato berries, enhancing plant P status. These observations may be useful for certain areas of the World, in which As-contaminated waters are used for agricultural purposes.Keywords: tomato, arsenic, uptake, phosphorus fertilization, contamination.

The influence of compost on the growth of bean plants irrigated with As-contaminated waters and its influence on the mobility of As in the soils and the uptake of As (as NaAs III O 2 ) by plant components was studied at various compost application rates (3·10 4 and 6·10 4 kg ha −1 ) and at three As concentrations (1, 2 and 3 mg kg −1 ). The biomass and As and P concentrations of the roots, shoots and beans were determined at harvest time, as well as the chlorophyll content of the leaves and nonspecific and specifically bound As in the soil. The bean plants exposed to As showed typical phytotoxicity symptoms; no plants however died over the study. The biomass of the bean plants increased with the increasing amounts of compost added to the soil, attributed to the phytonutritive capacity of compost. Biomass decreased with increasing As concentrations, however, the reduction in the biomass was significantly lower with the addition of compost, indicating that the As phytotoxicity was alleviated by the compost. For the same As concentration, the As content of the roots, shoots and beans decreased with increasing compost added compared to the Control. This is due to partial immobilization of the As by the organic functional groups on the compost, either directly or through cation bridging. Most of the As adsorbed by the bean plants accumulated in the roots, while a scant allocation of As occurred in the beans. Hence, the addition of compost to soils could be used as an effective means to limit As accumulation in crops from As-contaminated waters.

In this study we have examinated the results of two experiments on the uptake and distribution of arsenic (As) in roots, shoots, and grain of wheat grown in As-polluted soils and in an unpolluted soil irrigated with As-contaminated water in absence or presence of phosphorus (P) fertilization. Arsenic concentrations in wheat samples of the two experiments are higher than those in the plants grown on uncontaminated soil. In the experiments showed in this work, it is highlighted the role of P fertilization in preventing As uptake and translocation in wheat plants. These findings could have important implications to reduce the potential risk posed to human health by As entering the food-chain.

In this study we have investigated the uptake and distribution of arsenic (As) and phosphate (Pi) in roots, shoots, and grain of wheat grown in an uncontaminated soil irrigated with solutions containing As at three different concentrations (0.5, 1 and 2 mg l−1) and in the presence or in the absence of P fertilization. Arsenic in irrigation water reduced plants growth and decreased grain yield. When Pi was not added (P−), plants were more greatly impacted compared to the plus Pi (P+) treatments. The differences in mean biomass between P− and P+ treatments at the higher As concentrations demonstrated the role of Pi in preventing As toxicity and growth inhibition. Arsenic concentrations in root, shoot and grain increased with increasing As concentration in irrigation water. It appears that P fertilization minimizes the translocation of As to the shoots and grain whilst enhancing P status of plant. The observation that P fertilization minimises the translocation of arsenic to the shoots and grain is interesting and may be useful for certain regions of the world that has high levels of As in groundwater or soils.

Coprecipitation involving arsenic with aluminum or iron has been studied because this technique is considered particularly efficient for removal of this toxic element from polluted waters. Coprecipitation of arsenic with mixed iron-aluminum solutions has received scant attention. In this work we studied (i) the mineralogy, surface properties,and chemical composition of mixed iron-aluminum oxides formed at initial Fe/Al molar ratio of 1.0 in the absence or presence of arsenate [As/Fe+Al molar ratio (R) of 0, 0.01, or 0.1] and at pH 4.0, 7.0, and 10.0 and aged for 30 and 210 days at 50 degrees C and (ii) the removal of arsenate from the coprecipitates after addition of phosphate. The amounts of short-range ordered precipitates (ferrihydrite, aluminous ferrihydrite and/or poorly crystalline boehmite) were greater than those found in iron and aluminum systems (studied in previous works), due to the capacity of both aluminum and arsenate to retard or inhibit the transformation of the initially formed precipitates into well-crystallized oxides (gibbsite, bayerite, and hematite). As a consequence, the surface areas of the iron-aluminum oxides formed in the absence or presence of arsenate were usually much larger than those of aluminum or iron oxides formed under the same conditions. Arsenate was found to be associated mainly into short-range ordered materials. Chemical composition of all samples was affected by pH, initial R, and aging. Phosphate sorption was facilitated by the presence of short-range ordered materials, mainly those richer in aluminum, but was inhibited by arsenate present in the samples. The quantities of arsenate replaced by phosphate, expressed as percentages of its total amount present in the samples, were particularly low, ranging from 10% to 26%. A comparison of the desorption of arsenate by phosphate from aluminum-arsenate and iron-arsenate (studied in previous works) and iron-aluminum-arsenate coprecipitates evidenced that phosphate has a greater capacity to desorb arsenate from aluminum than iron sites.

Arsenic mobilization in soils is mainly controlled by sorption/desorption processes, but arsenic also may be coprecipitated with aluminum and/or iron in natural environments. Although coprecipitation of arsenic with aluminum and iron oxides is an effective treatment process for arsenic removal from drinking water, the nature and reactivity of aluminum- or iron-arsenic coprecipitates has received little attention. We studied the mineralogy, chemical composition, and surface properties of aluminum-arsenate coprecipitates, as well as the sorption of phosphate on and the loss of arsenate from these precipitates. Aluminum-arsenate coprecipitates were synthesized at pH 4.0, 7.0, or 10.0 and As/Al molar ratio (R) of 0, 0.01, or 0.1 and were aged 30 or 210 d at 50 degrees C. In the absence of arsenate, gibbsite (pH 4.0 or 7.0) and bayerite (pH 10.0) formed, whereas in the presence of arsenate, very poorly crystalline precipitates formed. Short-range ordered materials (mainly poorly crystalline boehmite) formed at pH 4.0 (R = 0.01 and 0.1), 7.0, and 10.0 (R= 0.1) and did not transform into Al(OH)3 polymorphs even after prolonged aging. The surface properties and chemical composition of the aluminum precipitates were affected by the initial pH, R, and aging. Chemical dissolution of the samples by 6 mol L(-1) HCl and 0.2 mol L(-1) oxalic acid/ oxalate solution indicated that arsenate was present mainly in the short-range ordered precipitates. The sorption of phosphate onto the precipitates was influenced by the nature of the samples and the amounts of arsenate present in the precipitates. Large amounts of phosphate partially replaced arsenate only from the samples formed at R = 0.1. The quantities of arsenate desorbed from these coprecipitates by phosphate increased with increasing phosphate concentration, reaction time, and precipitate age butwere always lessthan 30% of the amounts of arsenate present in the materials and were particularly low (4%) from the sample prepared at pH 4.0. Arsenate appeared to be occluded within the network of short-range ordered materials and/or sorbed onto the external surfaces of the precipitates, but sorption on the external surfaces seemed to increase by increasing pH of sample preparation and aging. Furthermore, at pH 4.0 more than in neutral or alkaline systems the formation of aluminum arsenate precipitates seemed to be favored. Finally, we have observed that greater amounts of phosphate were sorbed on an aluminum-arsenate coprecipitate than on a preformed aluminum oxide equilibrated with arsenate under the same conditions (R = 0.1, pH 7.0). In contrast, the opposite occurred for arsenate desorption, which was attributed to the larger amounts of arsenate occluded in the coprecipitate.