Agglomeration analysis of humic acids with arsenic in the presence of Fe3+ or Al3+. Impact on food

Abstract

Abstract

     In this research, the interaction effect of humic acids (HAs) with trivalent arsenic (As III) in the formation of agglomerates in the presence of Fe³⁺ or Al³⁺ metal salts (Me) (HAs-As-Me o HAs-Me-As) was evaluated; with the purpose of eliminating the metalloid together with the organic matter (OM) in water systems that are destined for the use of food.

     I the previous physicochemical analysis of the HAs under study (commercial HA-CH and extracted in the laboratory: HA-A, HA-T, HA-To and HA-Hu) they presented polyacid and stable characteristics, which is corroborated by their capacity of coagulation with the trivalent metal by means of the formation of agglomerates, followed by a filtration process and obtaining the corresponding readings by the inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy equipment (ICP). The data obtained showed that there is a rapid interaction of humic acid, arsenic and the trivalent metal in less than 5 min and especially when increasing the concentration of the coagulant metal at a pH of 5, mainly due to the deprotonation of the carboxylic groups (-COOH), that under these conditions they can be coordinated, thus allowing such complexes to approach and interact, reducing the net negative charge of HA and carrying out agglomeration and coagulation.