Arsenic is a priority pollutant in aquatic ecosystem and therefore the remediation of arsenic-bearing
wastewater is an important environmental issue. This study unprecedentedly reported simultaneous oxi-
dation of As(III) and immobilization of arsenic can be achieved using contact glow discharge process
(CGDP). CGDP with thinner anodic wire and higher energy input were beneficial for higher As(V) produc-
tion efficiency. Adding Fe(II) in CGDP system significantly enhanced the oxidation rate of As(III) due to the
generations of additional
OH and Fe(IV) species, accompanied with which arsenic can be simultaneously
immobilized in one process. Arsenic immobilization can be favorably obtained at solution pH in the range
of 4.0–6.0 and Fe(II) concentration from 250 to 1000
l
M. The presence of organics (i.e., oxalic acid, eth-
anol and phenol) retarded the arsenic immobilization by scavenging
OH or complexing Fe(III) in aqueous
solution. On the basis of these results, a mechanism was proposed that the formed ionic As(V) rapidly
coprecipitated with Fe(III) ions or was adsorbed on the ferric oxyhydroxides with the formation of amor-
phous ferric arsenate-bearing ferric oxyhydroxides. This CGDP-Fenton system was of great interest for
engineered systems concerned with the remediation of arsenic containing wastewater.