Removal of Metal Contaminants by Ion‐Exchange Resin Columns, Thala Valley Tip, Casey Station, Antarctica

Abstract

Salinity and low temperature effects on adsorption of contaminant metals from water using an iminodiacetic acid (IDA) ion‐exchange resin, were investigated under dynamic flow conditions. The order of selectivity of the resin (20°C and 0% seawater) was: Cu²⁺> Pb²⁺> Cr³⁺> Ni²⁺>Cd²⁺>Zn²⁺. Low temperature (4°C) had no significant effect on the selectivity of the contaminant metals and salinity only affected selectivity for Cr³⁺ and Cu²⁺. Copper had highest selectivity in all column experiments, except where extensive deprotonation occured. Buffering affected retention of Cr³⁺; possibly due to precipitation or complexation as a result of increase in pH.

Keywords:

• Ion‐exchange
• Amberlite
• multicomponent column
• containment metal
• water treatment
• temperature
• salinity

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, A Special Research Centre of the Australian Research Council. Funding is also acknowledged from an Australian Antarctic Science Grant 1300 and an Australian Postgraduate Award. We would like to thank Dr Ash Townsend for ICP‐MS analysis at the CSL, University of Tasmania and Dr Kathy Northcott for help in preparation of the manuscript.