Comparative evaluation of Citrus aurantifolia and Passiflora edulis peel flours as bioadsorbents for arsenic removal from drinking water; [Avaliação comparativa das farinhas das cascas de Citrus aurantifolia e Passiflora edulis como bioadsorventes para a remoção de arsênio da água potável]

Hoyos-Alayo W.M.; Leiva-Piedra J.L.; Amaro-Mellado J.L.; Ramirez-Juidias E. · Revista Brasileira de Meio Ambiente (2026) · DOI: 10.66205/rvbma.v14i1.1980

Resumen

Arsenic contamination in drinking water remains a persistent crisis in rural and peri-urban communities in Peru, where measured concentrations frequently exceed the maximum permissible limit of 0.010 mg/L, thereby heightening public-health vulnerability. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of Citrus aurantifolia and Passiflora edulis peel flours as bioadsorbents for arsenic removal from potable water. A 4×3 factorial design (dose and contact time) was implemented and fitted with a quadratic response surface methodology (RSM) model; analytical validation was performed by ICP-OES, and statistical inference included ANOVA with a complementary general factorial model. The Passiflora edulis flour achieved removals of up to 90.2% under optimal conditions (3.92 g L-1, 29.1 min), lowering the final arsenic concentration to 0.010 mg/L. By contrast, the Citrus aurantifolia flour reached a maximum removal of 56.1% at 7.76 g L-1 and 49.1 min. The statistical model explained over 96% of the variability and confirmed the importance of dose and the synergistic effect of contact time, with a superior fit for Passiflora edulis (adjusted R2 = 95.85%). We conclude that Passiflora edulis peel flour is an efficient, low-cost, circular-economy-aligned alternative that is viable for settings with technological constraints.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú