The regeneration viability evaluation of zinc on bofe clay columns

In this study, the Bofe bentonite clay, calcined at 500 °C was used for removal of zinc in porous bed with multiple cycles of adsorption-desorption. The natural and calcined clay was characterized by N₂ physisorption (BET method), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal analysis). The experiments for the removal of zinc were carried out at room temperature (25 °C) with particle diameter of 0.855 mm and a flow rate of 3 mL/min. The results indicated that over the four cycles of adsorption/desorption of which was submitted, the clay has not lost the capacity for adsorption of metal and that this process may be feasible to replace or complement conventional treatments to remove metals, since that clay was able to reduce the concentration of zinc to the amount recommended by Resolution Nº 357/2005 of CONAMA (5 mg.L^-1). (author)