Modeling the Sorption Kinetics of Cesium and Strontium Ions on Zeolite A

Abstract

Zeolite A was chemically synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and thermal analysis. The sorptive removal of cesium and strontium ions from aqueous waste solution using synthetic zeolite A was investigated. Experiments were carried out as a function of pH, solute concentration, and temperature (298–333 K). Analysis of the respective rate data in accordance with three kinetic models revealed that the intraparticle diffusion was the rate determining step for the sorption of both studied ions. Values of the pseudo first order and pseudo second order rate constants and the particle diffusion coefficients were determined from the graphical representation of the proposed models. Activation energy and thermodynamic parameters of free energy (∆ G*), enthalpy (∆ H*), and entropy (∆ S*) of activation for each sorption process were calculated from the linearized form of Arrhenius equation.