The removal of heavy metals from dilute aqueous streams by the use of ion exchange resins

Abstract

Ion exchange resins are widely used to remove or concentrate heavy metals from aqueous solutions or slurries.This thesis attempts to properly evaluate the interaction between ion exchange resins and heavy metals at trace metal concentrations.The durability of the resins and their effectiveness in real slurries were also investigated. In this study, a chelating resin, as well as a cation, and anion exchange resin was contacted with aqueous solutions of heavy metals in both free and complexed form. Zinc, nickel and copper cyanide complexes were adsorbed onto the anion exchange resin, while the chelating and cation exchange resins were contacted with zinc and nickel nitrates, and cupric sulphate. All the tests were conducted in batch stirred tank reactors. All the metal cyanide complexes behaved in a similar manner when contacted with the anion exchange resins. These tests were p~rf0nned under variations in temperature, stirring speed, pH., ionic strength and . initial metal 90E~entrations. Fitting of a dual resistance model to the profiles for thetlptllk:e" of the complexes, show that both film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion rates were improved with an increase in temperature, and that film diffusion rates improved with an increase in stirring speed. A high ionic strength negatively affected equilibrium loading as well as diffusional rates.It was found that at these low concentrations, the diffusional rates improves with a decrease in the external metal concentration. A comparative study involving the chelating and cation·exchange resins were performed, during which the resins were contacted with the metals in free fonn. It was found that at high metal concentrations, the chelating resin induced a rate limiting effect, but at trace concentrations, this effect is virtually negated. Whereas the cation exchange resin exhibited little selectivity in adsorbing the metals, it was found that the chelating resin prefers the metals in the eu > Ni > Zn. The chelating resin proved to be no less durable then the cation exchange resin, and both slightly lost their ability to adsorb the metal cations as a result of the effects of an inert coarse sand slurry.Tests performed with a real ore leachate, showed the cation exchange resin to be efficient at a low pH , but also relatively non selective, since the adsorption of copper from the leachate was greatly reduced due to the presence of other heavy metals.