Copper (II) Removal onto Dolomitic Sorbents

The removal of copper (II) from aqueous solution was investigated using thermally processed dolomitic sorbents. It was found that dolomite charred for long periods caused a rise in solution pH with subsequent bulk precipitation of the copper from solution. Dolomite charred for 6 h produced a sorbent that did not increase the solution pH as readily, but that still removed significant amounts of copper from solution. SEM analysis indicated that the most likely removal process for low pH contacting is by surface precipitation, a hypothesis that proved to be in agreement with work of previous researchers. Furthermore, the kinetics of the removal were also investigated and indicated that the process can be described by an elementary second-order chemical reaction-type rate process.