POTENTIAL REMEDIATION OF HEAVY METALS FOUND IN THE ENVIRONMENT USING WOOD: RATE OF SORPTION OF CU, ZN AND CR ON ASPEN WOOD WOOL
THIENEL, Bethany R., 734 Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240, bthienel@bates.edu, BOVING, Thomas B., Dept. of Geosciences, Univ of Rhode Island, Woodward Hall, Kingston, RI 02881, and JOHNSON, Beverly, Dept. of Geology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240

The removal of metals contaminating groundwater is important as high levels of metals in drinking water have developmental effects and cause problems to the digestive systems of humans. Heavy metal contamination is often associated with roadway runoff and industry, and is likely to increase in developing countries over the near future. Organic materials such as peanut husk carbon and peat moss have proven to be cost effective materials for removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions. This study investigates the rates of metal sorption onto aspen wood wool in a laboratory setting. Glass columns packed with aspen wood wool (used in evaporative coolant processes) were flushed with Zn, Cu and Cr solutions at constant pH and flow rate, and metal concentrations were measured using ICP-OES. Changes in relative metal concentrations and isotherms were plotted to quantify the adsorption process. Once the wood was saturated with the metal, desorption experiments were run by flushing DI water through the column. Preliminary results indicate that aspen wood wool reaches saturation of metals between 3-8 hours (depending on the metal and flushing solution concentrations), suggesting its efficiency in absorbing metals for an extended period of time on a small scale. Desorption takes less time than the adsorption of metals, which suggests the two processes vary in organic-inorganic interactions.

Northeastern Section - 37th Annual Meeting (March 25-27, 2002)
General Information for this Meeting
Session No. 2--Booth# 16
Water: Precipitation to Groundwater Remediation (Posters)
Sheraton Springfield: Ballroom North
8:00 AM-12:00 PM, Monday, March 25, 2002
 

© Copyright 2002 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.