Characterization of Zeolitic Mineral for Developing Nanostructured Materials
Abstract
The study of representative samples from two natural clinoptilolite deposits has shown that the morphology of the crystal, produces a significant influence on the ion exchange process of the zeolite. The determined kinetic parameters of the ammonium exchange at room temperature and 100º C are different. The activation energy of the exchange process is 14.1 KJ mol-1 when the ammonium was exchanged in the sample representative of the mineral from a drill hole (0 - 30 meters), while the energy of the same process is about 3 KJ.mol-1 for a sample representative of the weathered horizon (0 - 7 meters). The kinetic parameters of the exchange of Ni2+ and Co2+ are different for the samples from both deposits even when the samples were extracted from similar section, as a consequence of the crystal morphology.
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