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II. METHODOLOGY
A. Characterization of clinoptilolite
Preloaded and eluted clinoptilolite samples from previous
study (cobalt and copper adsorption) were grind in a mortar
and the mineralogical composition determined using the X-ray
fluorescence.
B. Determination of the poisoning level
To determine the level of poisoning with residual metals,
powder form of clinoptilolite was dissolved in aqua regia. The
mixture was then filtered and the concentration of copper and
cobalt in the filtrate was measured using atomic absorption
spectrophotometer (AAS).
C. Regeneration technique
Regeneration of poisoned clipnoptilolite was done using
either alkaline or acidic solution. Alkaline solution was
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International Conference on Mining, Mineral Processing and Metallurgical Engineering (ICMMME'2013) April 15-16, 2013 Johannesburg (South Africa)
D.Adsorption of metals
Batch adsorption experiments were conducted at room
temperature using 5 g of clinoptilolite in 50 ml solutions of
10, 20, 30 and 50 mg/L initial concentrations of either cobalt
or copper ions. Solutions of metal ions were loaded into
columns in glass containing 5 g of regenerated clinoptilolite
and the exposure was allowed for a period of one hour, then
the effluent was collected for measurement of residual metal
ions using AAS.
III.
A. Mineralogical composition
The mineralogical composition (Table 1) indicates that
clinoptilolite studied has relatively high silica level. The Si/Al
ratio was 5.91, while the (Na + K)/Ca ratio was 3.62. For
typical theoretical exchange capacity, Si/Al ratio of natural
clinoptilolite can generally range from 4 to 5.5 [10], implying
that the clinoptilolite used in this had the capacity to exchange
ions. Moreover, the clinoptilolite studied contains relatively
high silica level and could be classified as high silica member,
a group reported to be also rich in sodium, potassium and
magnesium [10].
TABLE I
X-RAY FLUORESCENCE RESULTS
No
Compound
% weight
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Na2 O
MgO
Al2 O3
SiO2
P2 O5
SO3
Cl
K2 O
CaO
TiO2
MnO
Fe 2 O3
Co2 O3
NiO
CuO
ZnO
1.0469
0.8082
13.0621
77.1781
0.0104
0.2917
0.2819
4.1793
1.4442
0.1465
0.0202
1.2662
0.0263
0.0046
0.0232
0.0062
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International Conference on Mining, Mineral Processing and Metallurgical Engineering (ICMMME'2013) April 15-16, 2013 Johannesburg (South Africa)
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
[1]
International Conference on Mining, Mineral Processing and Metallurgical Engineering (ICMMME'2013) April 15-16, 2013 Johannesburg (South Africa)
Born in Cameroon, the author obtained the certificate for completion of high
school in Bafoussam-Cameroon and then completed a BSc in Bioichemistry at
the University of Dschang in Cameroon. He then traveled to South Africa
where he continued his studies and completed a B-Tech and M-Tech in
Biotechnology; after a year in the consulting sector, he went back in academia
to complete a D-Tech in Extraction Metallurgy focusing on Bioprocessing.
He worked for two years in the marketing sector for a company based in
Camerron, after his B-Tech he was concurrently appointed as a part-time
research associate for six years and also worked as a part-time lecturer for five
years. He is currently a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of JohannesburgSouth Africa and lectures on a part-time basis. He has published a couple of
articles in accredited journals including: The health implication of
relationships between bacterial endotoxin, cyanobacteria, coliforms and water
stored in domestic containers of rural households in South Africa. Journal of
Water and Health, Vol 8 (4), 2010, pp 601-610; A comprehensive study of
physical and physiological parameters that affect biosorption of metal
pollutants from aqueous solutions. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of the
Earth, Vol 35, 2010, pp 672-678 and Prediction of metal-adsorption
behaviour in the remediation of water contamination using indigenous
microorganisms. Journal of Environmental Management, 92 (10), pp 27862793. Examples of book chapters published include: Metal derived complexes
for improved fight against bacteria. In: Mishra A.K., Tiwari A. and Mishra
S.B. (Eds). Smart Biomolecules in Medicine. VBRI Press, India. ISBN 97881-920068-01, 2010, pp. 199-226 and High-technology therapy using
biomolecules or synthetic compounds for HIV inhibition. In: Mishra A.K
(Eds). Nanomedecine for Drug Delivery and Therapeutics. Wiley, Scrivener
Publisher. ISBN: 978-1-1184-1409-5. 2013, pp 3-38. His main research focus
has been on the monitoring of water quality and bioremediation of polluted
water.
Dr Elvis Fosso-Kankeu has been a recipient of several merit awards, the
more recent is the best paper award received at the International Mine Water
Conference in Bunbury-Australia, October 2012.
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