On the physicochemical states of heavy metals of very small amounts in river water

The physicochemical existence states of the heavy metals in river water were experimentally studied, with radioactive nuclides as tracers. The experimental samples taken from Kamo-river in the city of Kyoto were filtered through a membrane filter of 0.45 μm pore diameter. The radioactive nuclides of heavy metal tracers were added into the sample water, and pH was adjusted to the given value with hydrochloric solution on the acidic side and with sodium hydroxide solution on the alkaline side. After two days aging, the radioactivity ratios of the sediments on membrane filters to that of total passed samples were measured. The variation in the course of time of the concentrations of ionic tracers dialysed with cellulose tubes (24 angstrom pore diameter) was traced until the equilibrium condition was reached. The radioactivity of the supernatant of 20 ml of sample water added with 0.5 g of anion or cation exchange resin, and the concentrations of tracers in the upper layer of liquid in a centrifuge were measured. The existing conditions of elements such as zinc, cadmium, cobalt, strontium-yttrium were examined. In conclusion, the adsorption of all nuclides on the membrane filters increased with the increase of pH, but the significant difference was not recognized owing to the pore diameter (1.2 μm - 0.05 μm) excepting some experimental results. (Iwakiri, K.)