STUDY OF THE SORPTION CHARACTERISTICS OF MODIFIED ZEOLITE

Abstract

Introduction. Contaminated industrial wastewater contains carcinogenic metals that negatively affect human health. Research in the field of purification of liquid media polluted with heavy metals focuses on the use of efficient, accessible, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly sorbents and sorption materials based on natural raw materials, in particular zeolite. Natural zeolites from different deposits vary in their mineralogical composition and are characterized by less effective sorption properties compared to synthetic sorbents. To improve the sorption characteristics, an inexpensive modifier guar gum has been selected. The aim of the work. Modification of natural zeolite with guar gum by the precipitation method and determination of the optimal conditions under which the highest sorption characteristics are achieved. Results and discussion. Study of the effect of guar gum consumption on the properties of modified zeolite showed that with an increase in the amount of modifier, the static exchange capacity (SEC) of the cation exchanger sharply decreases. The optimal stirring time for obtaining the modified sorbent was found to be 10 hours, at which the maximum SEC value of the cation exchanger reaches 1398 mg-eq/g. Investigation of the effect of stirring temperature showed that in the range from 25°C to 75°C, the sorption characteristics of the composite sorbent change insignificantly. An increase in the drying temperature to 100°C leads to an improvement in the sorption characteristics of the sorbent, especially with respect to the sorption of cations. Conclusion. The conditions for modifying natural zeolite with a natural polysaccharide (guar gum) by the precipitation method have been studied. Optimal conditions for the modification process have been determined, and a new sorbent has been obtained in which the cation exchange capacity, anion exchange capacity, overall exchange capacity, and total sorption capacity are 15 times, 85.6 times, 9.7 times, and 77 times higher, respectively, compared to natural zeolite.