Hydrated zirconium oxide (ZrO(OH)(2)) nanoparticles were modified with graphite oxide (GO) (denoted herein as GO-ZrO(OH)(2)) by hydro-thermal co-precipitation reaction, and were used for the simultaneous removal of As(III) and As(V) from drinking water. The GO-ZrO(OH)(2) nanocomposites were characterized using Fourier transformer infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Zeta-potential, and specific surface area analysis. The size of ZrO(OH)(2) particles in GO-ZrO(OH)(2) is below 5 nm, and the specific surface area of GO-ZrO(OH)(2) is about 4 times that of ZrO(OH)(2) nanoparticles. The GO-ZrO(OH)(2) nanocomposites showed high adsorption capacity in a wide pH range, and the monolayer adsorption amounts calculated based on the Langmuir adsorption model were 95.15 and 84.89 mg/g for As(III) and As(V), respectively, which are 3.54 and 4.64 times that of ZrO(OH)(2) nanoparticles. The high adsorption capacity is attributed to good dispersion of ZrO(OH)(2) nanoparticles in the GO substrate. The GO-ZrO(OH)(2) nanocomposites can simultaneously remove As(III) and As(V) in water. Moreover, GO-ZrO(OH)(2) showed good anti-interference ability to co-existing anions, and exhibited excellent recyclability. The experimental results suggest that GO-ZrO(OH)(2) is a promising adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from drinking water. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.