Sol-Gel Synthesis and Characterization of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles for Efficient Arsenic Sorption from Aqueous Solutions

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The phase composition (amorphous), particle size (from 20 to 80 nm), pycnometric density (3.50 g/cm3), specific surface area (300 m2/g) and band gap width (3.4 eV) were determined. As(III) sorption experiments were carried out in the dark and under 440 nm LED irradiation, varying the pH of the aqueous medium from 1 to 12 and the sorption time from 15 to 180 min. Sorption kinetic curves were obtained and the maximum allowable concentration of arsenic in water was achieved.