Decontamination of synthetic solutions containing copper ions using modified barks.

Chemically treated bark of pedunculate oak, Scots pine, European beech and European spruce was used to decontaminate copper acetate, chloride, nitrate and sulphate containing 10, 100 and 1 000 ppm Cu. The percentage of metal removed varied from 40% to 99%, depending on pH and initial concentration, and to some extent on the salt used. The maximum retention capacity of the treated bark varied from 31 to 43 mg Cu/g dry bark. Loaded bark was analysed by SEM and IR spectroscopy: Cu was uniformly distributed with no observed segregation, and appeared to be bound to the acidic sites of the bark. No anions were detected by either technique.
Chemically treated bark of pedunculate oak, Scots pine, European beech and European spruce was used to decontaminate copper acetate, chloride, nitrate and sulphate containing 10, 100 and 1 000 ppm Cu. The percentage of metal removed varied from 40% to 99%, depending on pH and initial concentration, and to some extent on the salt used. The maximum retention capacity of the treated bark varied from 31 to 43 mg Cu/g dry bark. Loaded bark was analysed by SEM and IR spectroscopy: Cu was uniformly distributed with no observed segregation, and appeared to be bound to the acidic sites of the bark. No anions were detected by either technique.