Separation and removal of cobalt and zinc from chloride solution by Indion BSR - A chelating resin

Ion-exchange removal of zinc and cobalt from aqueous solutions on Indion BSR, an indigenous chelating resin, was studied in detail. The percentage removal of zinc and cobalt was examined by varying experimental conditions, viz., dosage of adsorbent, pH of the solution and contact time, metal concentration in aqueous feed, and temperature. It was found that more than 95% removal of both the metals was achieved under optimum conditions. The loading capacity for zinc and cobalt under optimized conditions was found to be 4.27g Zn/100g resin and 6.15 g Co/100 g resin with a feed concentration of 2 g/L each. Effect of various salts like sulfate, carbonate and chloride of sodium, and ammonium were also studied. Separation of both these metals from a binary mixture was also studied. Under optimized condition this resin was found to have more affinity for Zn than Co, indicating the feasibility of zinc separation from cobalt. The studies showed that this chelating resin could be used efficiently for the removal and separation of cobalt and zinc from chloride solutions.