Treatment of industrial slag zinc ferrite by zeolitic sludge

Abstract

Abstract The study reports the results in the removal efficiency of the metals released by zinc ferrite in aqueous systems, using a zeolitic sludge as an ion exchanger The so-called zinc ferrite is an industrial waste produced during the treatment of minerals for zinc extraction. The zeolitic sludge used in the experimental campaign is a by-product that derives from industrial processes and contains a combination of synthetic zeolites such as 4A (LTA) and 13X zeolite (FAU). Initially, different systems have been prepared, with predefined weight ratios of zeolitic sludge/zinc ferrite/water. The systems were analyzed, at different times, by plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) that allowed to measure the variation of concentration of Fe, Mg, Ca, Zn, Mn, Pb, Na, K ions. Zeolitic sludges were efficient for the total absorption of Pb and Zn ions.