Abstract
The purpose of this research was to study kinetics and statics of strontium (Sr) adsorption by native zeolites (clinoptilolite containing tuffs) and to evaluate the effectiveness of zeolites as adsorbents in removing strontium from the “phosphogypsum‐soil‐plant”; system. The concentrations of Sr in the initial solutions of SrCl2 were similar to those found in native waters and water extracts of alkali soils (I‐180 mg L‐1). Natural zeolites rapidly adsorbed Sr in large amounts over a wide range of concentrations. The presence of Ca in the solutions of phosphogypsum did not prevent the adsorption of Sr by zeolites. A new approach for establishing the dose of adsorbent based on the experimental determination of the optimum ratio of zeolite to phosphogypsum is suggested. The 20:1 ratio of phosphogypsum to zeolite was found to give the optimum level of Sr adsorption at the lowest rate of zeolite in the given rate of concentration.
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