Abstract
The use of a mixture of zeolites A and X was utilized to study the selectivity and the removal efficiency of a mixture of a quaternary cations solution containing Ca2+, Cu2+, Co2+, and Ni2+. The selectivity varied according to the mixture content. The total amount removed was found to follow the second order equation. Different mixtures of zeolites were examined for the removal efficiency of quaternary system of cations. The normalized selectivity varied according to the percent of the mixture. Pure zeolite A showed a non-selective behavior while zeolite X was highly selective for Cu2+. The in-between mixtures showed a variety of selectivity. The % mixture of two zeolites could be used for the selection of optimum conditions for the actual cases based on % of cations. A program was written to calculate the % removal of each cation in the solution. The mixture was examined on several synthetic wastewater solutions containing the quaternary system of these cations and on a real wastewater sample. It is found that the program could expect the % removal of the quartenary cation with more than 99% precision.