REMOVAL OF Cu~(2+) FROM CLAY BY ELECTROREMEDIATION
Removal of Cu 2+ from clay by electroremediation was carried out in a multicompartment apparatus. The batch adsorption and desorption of Cu 2+ on clay were firstly studied against buffer composition in terms of pH and electroconductivity. Then effects of particle diameter, washing buffer composition on the magnitude of ζ - potential of clay and on the specific electroosmosis velocity of the clay bed were examined,respectively. In case of using citric acid buffer as the washing solution, 89.9% of the Cu 2+ adsorbed on clay could be recovered at the expense of the buffer 1.33 times as much as the clay weight. Finally, scaling-up of the apparatus in terms of the expansion of cross area was attempted. An approximate recovery of Cu 2+ was obtained for the packed beds of different cross area operated at an identical current density, indicating a high potential of this technique in large scale soil remediation.