An Organomineral Composite Sorbent for Selective Recovery of Cu(II) from Aqueous Solutions

The phase composition, microstructure, and volume distribution of the dispersed lead sulfide phase in the matrix of the synthesized organomineral composite sorbent KU-2×8?PbS were studied. The cation exchanger granules are coated with a virtually continuous layer of lead sulfide up to 1.8–2.5 μm thick. In the volume of cation exchanger granules, the PbS phase forms discrete spherical particles with the mean diameter of 90–100 nm. Experiments on competing sorption of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from nitrate solutions revealed high selectivity of the sorbent to copper. Zinc concentrations of up to 0.004 mM do not noticeably affect the copper sorption, ensuring the possibility of separating the metals in the sorption step.