Evaluation of zeolite A for the sorptive removal of Cs+ and Sr2+ ions from aqueous solutions using batch and fixed bed column operations

Zeolite A was chemically synthesized and evaluated, as inorganic ion exchange material, for the removal of cesium and strontium ions from aqueous solutions in both batch and fixed bed column operations. Batch experiments were carried out as a function of pH, initial ion concentration and temperature. Simple kinetic and thermodynamic models have been applied to the rate and isotherm sorption data and the relevant kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were determined from the graphical presentation of these models. Breakthrough data were determined in a fixed bed column at room temperature (298 K) under the effect of various process parameters like bed depth, flow rate and initial ion concentration. The results showed that the total metal ion uptake and the overall bed capacity decreased with increasing flow rate and increased with increasing initial ion concentrations and bed depth. The dynamics of the ion exchange process was modeled by bed depth service time (BDST) model. The sorption rate constants (K) were found to increase with increase in flow rate indicating that the overall system kinetics was dominated by external mass transfer in the initial part of the sorption process in the column. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.