SEPARATION OF Cr(VI) IONS FROM WATER RESOURCES BY GREEN INORGANIC SORBENT

Heavy metal pollution of water resources is a serious problem for the environment, especially with Cr(VI) ions, therefore, it is very important to efficiently remove them from polluted waters. The removal of Cr(VI) ions from water resources is very important due to their toxicity to living organisms and the environment. In this paper, we have selected natural mineral sorbent, clayey diatomite from Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia, for the elimination of Cr(VI) ions from real systems (groundwater and surface water). To determine the adsorption capacity, we used the spectrophotometric method (UV/VIS Spectrophotometer). The results we obtained from spectrophotometric analysis give us the initial concentration of Cr(VI) ions and the concentration of the ions after the adsorption process. To define the adsorption capacity of raw inorganic sorbent, clayey diatomite for the separation of Cr(VI) ions from real systems, we conducted research under these conditions: laboratory scale batch glass reactor with continuous stirring at 400 rpm, constant room temperature, with 0.5 mg/l initial Cr(VI) ions concentrations, adsorbent amount of 2.5 g/l, pH of the solution 2 and adsorption time from 1-120 min. From this research, we can conclude that inorganic natural mineral, clayey diatomite, can be used with high efficiency for the removal of Cr(VI) ions from real systems.