Characterization of Cr ion exchange with hydrotalcite

Experiments were performed to characterize the removal of chromium from water with uncalcined hydrotalcite, a clay mineral ion exchange media. The process was characterized as a function of pH, temperature, contact time, and both Cr and hydrotalcite concentrations. A Freundlich isotherm, used to describe adsorption equilibria, was used as a model and Freundlich constants were determined. The kinetics of the ion exchange reaction were also modeled using a pseudo-first order reaction rate. Finally, an equilibrium stage process was modeled with sequential batch separations to determine if hydrotalcite ion exchange could reduce aqueous Cr levels to below the EPA limit of 0.1 mg l−1.It was shown that the process is highly pH dependent, only yielding significant removals at pH levels between 2.0 and 2.1. While hydrotalcite concentration, Cr concentration, and time did effect the ion exchange, temperature was not found to be a factor. Under optimal conditions, maximum removals of greater than 95% were achieved. Finally, sequential batch tests performed on initial Cr solutions ranging from 5 mg l−1 to 40 mg l−1, demonstrated that the water could be purified to a level that was not statistically different than the EPA limit, thus demonstrating the applicability of hydrotalcite ion exchange.