clay and sodium-nitrate

Geochemical mobility of Hg(II) species is strongly affected by the interactions of these compounds with naturally occurring adsorbents such as humic acids, clay minerals, oxides, etc. Interactions among these sorbents affect their affinity for Hg(II) and a full understanding of these processes is still lacking. The present work describes the influence of a humic acid (HA) sample on the adsorption of Hg(II) by vermiculite (VT). Adsorption isotherms were constructed to evaluate the affinity of Hg(II) by VT, HA, VT modified with humic acid (VT-HA), and VT-HA in presence of soluble humic acid (VT-HA + HA). All experiments were made at pH 6.0 ± 0.1 in 0.02 M NaNO3 and 25.0 ± 0.5 °C for initial Hg(II) concentrations from 1.0 to 100 μM. Determinations of Hg(II) were made by square wave voltammetry automated by sequential injection analysis, an approach that enables the determination of the free plus labile fractions of Hg(II) in HA suspensions without the need for laborious separation steps. The adsorption isotherms were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich equations, showing that HA was the material with the higher adsorption capacity (537 ± 30 μmol g(-1)) in comparison with VT and VT-HA (44 ± 3 and 51 ± 11 μmol g(-1), respectively). Adsorption order was HA >> VT-HA + HA > VT = VT-HA. At pH 6.0 the interaction of HA with VT is weak and only 14% of C initially added to the suspension was effectively retained by the mineral. Desorption of Hg(II) in acidic medium (0.05 M HCl) was higher in binary (VT-HA) and ternary (VT-HA + HA) systems in comparison with that of VT and HA alone, suggesting that interactions between VT and HA are facilitated in acidic medium, weakening the binding to Hg(II).

Topics: Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Clay; Environmental Pollutants; Humic Substances; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Mercury; Nitrates

The influence of uranyl-carbonate and calcium-uranyl-carbonate complexations on the kinetics of U(VI) (approximately 3.4 x 10(-3) mol L(-1)) sorption from NaNO3 and Ca(NO3)2 solutions on Na- and Ca-bentonites at circumneutral ambient conditions was investigated. Complexation of U(VI) in Ca2UO2(CO3)3(aq) aqueous species, dominating the U(VI) speciation in Ca(NO3)2 solution, reduces its adsorption on bentonite by a factor of 2-3 in comparison with that in (UO2)2CO3(OH)3- species, dominating in NaNO3 solution, within the studied period of time (21 days). As a result of the dissolution of accessory calcite, Ca2UO2(CO3)3(aq) can be formed in the initially Ca-free solution in contact with either Na- or Ca-bentonite. U(VI) adsorption on Na-bentonite is a factor of approximately 2 higher than that on Ca-bentonite for solutions with the Ca2UO2(CO3)3(aq) complex dominating aqueous U(VI) speciation. This favors use of Na-bentonite over that of Ca-bentonite in final disposal of radioactive waste. Furthermore, the observed strong correlation between U(VI) adsorption and Mg release as a result of montmorillonite dissolution indicates in agreement with previous findings that under the applied conditions U(VI) is adsorbed on the edge surface of montmorillonite, which is a major mineral phase of the studied clays.

Topics: Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Bentonite; Calcium; Calcium Compounds; Carbonates; Clay; Geologic Sediments; Kinetics; Magnesium; Metals; Nitrates; Sodium; Uranium