Fibrous arsenic(As) adsorbent was synthesized by loading zirconium(Zr) on fibrous phosphoric adsorbent which was directly synthesized by radiation-induced grafting of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphoric acid on polyethylene-coated polypropylene nonwoven fabric. Zirconium reacted with phosphoric acid grafted in the polyethylene layer. Zirconium density of the resulting adsorbent was 4.1 mmol/g. The breakthrough curve of As(V) adsorption was independent of the flow rate up to 1300 h(-1) in space velocity. The total capacity of As(V) was 2.0 mmol/g-adsorbent at pH of 2. The adsorbed Zr(IV) could be evaluated by 0.4 M sodium hydroxide solution because no Zr(IV) could be found in the eluted solution. Anions of chloride and nitrate interfered the breakthrough capacity. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.