A Fe-Zr binary oxide adsorbent has been successfully synthesized using a co-precipitation method.It showed a better performance for antimonate (Sb(Ⅴ)) removal than zirconium oxide or amorphous ferric oxide.The experimental results showed that the Fe-Zr adsorbent has a capacity of 51 mg/g at an initial Sb(Ⅴ) concentration of 10 mg/L at pH 7.0.Sb(V) adsorption on the Fe-Zr bimetal oxide is normally an endothermic reaction.Most of the Sb(Ⅴ) adsorption took place within 3 hr and followed a pseudo second-order rate law,Co-existing anions such as SO42-,NO3- and Cl- had no considerable effects on the Sb(Ⅴ) removal; PO43- had an inhibitory effect to some extent at high concentration; while CO32- and SiO44- showed significant inhibitory effects when they existed in high concentrations.The mechanism of Sb(Ⅴ) adsorption on the adsorbent was investigated using a combination of zeta potential measurements,XPS,Raman,FT-IR observations and SO42- release determination.The ionic strength dependence and zeta potential measurements indicated that inner-sphere surface complexes were formed after Sb(Ⅴ) adsorption.Raman and XPS observations demonstrated that both Fe-OH and Zr-OH sites at the surface of the Fe-Zr adsorbent play important roles in the Sb(Ⅴ) adsorption.FT-IR characterization and SO42- release determination further demonstrated that the exchange of SO42- with Sb(Ⅴ) also could promote the adsorption process.In conclusion,this adsorbent showed high potential for future application in Sb(Ⅴ) removal from contaminated water.