β-FeOOH-Coupled Activated Carbon Prepared by the High Temperature Impregnation Method for Bromate Removal from Water

β-FeOOH-coupled activated carbon (FAC) was prepared and used to remove bromate from an aqueous phase. SEM, XRD, and FTIR analyses indicated that a larger number of β-FeOOH particles were anchored on the AC surface, which greatly enhanced the bromate adsorption and reduction rates. The influences of the pH, contact time, temperature, and competitive anions on bromate removal by FAC were evaluated. FAC can be used over a wide pH range (3–8) for bromate adsorption and reduction, and competing anions inhibit bromate uptake. The adsorption kinetics agreed well with the pseudo-second-order model (R2 ≥ 0.99), and the adsorption isotherms were well fitted by the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic analysis suggested that bromate removal by FAC was a spontaneous and endothermic process. Bromate was adsorbed and then reduced to bromide; Fe3+ acted as a catalyst to accelerate the reductive reaction. The results of this study indicate that FAC is a stable and promising material for bromate removal.