Sorption of Nickel Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Ion Exchangers

Sorption of Ni²⁺ions from aqueous solutions by ion exchangers differed in their chemical nature and structure was studied. Based on the endothermic curves of ice melting obtained by a differential scanning calorimetry, the amounts of freezing and non-freezing water present in free volumes (pores) of the studied ion exchangers were calculated. Comparison of results obtained from the kinetic curves of nickel ion sorption with data on differential scanning calorimetry indicates a role of structural factor in the sorption of nickel ions. It was found that, depending on the total amount of freezing and non-freezing water, the KU-2-8 sulfonated cationite is the most preferable ion exchanger for the sorption of nickel ions from aqueous solutions. Therefore, sorbent efficiency in this case is determined by its structure rather than by chemical nature.