Recycling of Zeolite Filters through the Use of Electrodialysis.

Abstract

Zeolites are clay minerals with multiple industrial uses. They are used to make cat litter, livestock feed additives, catalysts, and contaminant filters. Recently, more attention has been given to the use of different types of mineral clay to address environmental pollution issues. With concerns such as environmental protection and industrial process efficiency at the forefront of societal concerns, we thought it would be useful to determine whether or not zeolite filters might be able to be recycled through the use of electrodialysis. We performed the following tests on the soil samples we collected from Presidio County: 1) CaCO₃ %; 2) Moisture content; 3) pH; 4) EC (saturated paste); 5) XRD. After running XRD, we concluded there was not enough zeolite in the samples to reasonably continue with the experiment. As an alternative we ordered different zeolite samples from St. Cloud’s Mine in New Mexico. These samples went through the same characterization tests the Presidio County samples went through. For the next step of the experimental process, the St. Cloud’s Mine zeolite will be placed in a Cd⁺² wash. Once Cd⁺² is adsorbed to the zeolite, the zeolite will be placed in an electrophoresis unit. We will use the electrophoresis unit to remove the adsorbed Cd⁺² from the zeolite, essentially recycling the zeolite.