Inglezakis V J, Grigoropoulou Helen
Department of Chemical Engineering, Section II: Process Analysis and Plant Design, Laboratory of Chemical Process Engineering, Zografou Campus, GR-15780 Athens, Greece.
J Hazard Mater. 2004 Aug 9;112(1-2):37-43. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2004.02.052.
This work investigates the effects of flow rate (5-15 Bed Volumes/h), particle size (0.8-1.7 mm), concentration (0.005-0.02 N) and Na(+)-enrichment of natural clinoptilolite on the removal efficiency of Pb2+, Cu2+, Fe3+ and Cr3+ in aqueous solutions. Ion exchange is performed in an upflow fixed bed reactor. The removal efficiency is increased with decreasing flow rate, particle size and concentration and is improved by a factor of 2-10, depending on the specific metal. The modification of the natural sample is favorable, leading to an increase of removal efficiency by 32-100%. For the experimental conditions examined, removal efficiency order is the following: Pb2+ > Cr3+ > Fe3+ > or = Cu2+. Finally, the operation is influenced by the studied parameters, following the order: concentration > volumetric flow > rate > particle size > modification of the material.
