This invention describes a one step process for the removal of
heavy metals, particularly
arsenic, from water. The process consists in promoting the circulation of the water to be treated in an
electrolytic cell equipped with iron, or iron
alloy anodes and cathodes made of iron or iron
alloy or other metals, while the contemporary insufflation into the
cell of a gas, partially or totally composed of
oxygen. In this way the iron of the
anode electrodes dissolves as iron
hydroxide. The
ferrous hydroxide thus generated, under the action of the
oxygen contained in the insufflated gas is converted to
ferric hydroxide, which, through a complex mechanism, adsorbs and forms insoluble complexes with the
arsenic ions. At the same time As(III) is subject to oxidation both at the
anode and at the
cathode. By this process both forms of
arsenic, As(III) and As(V), are equally removed. The
treated water is further processed by conventional clarifying and filtering.