Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Zirconium Oxide and Its Application as an Ion Exchanger

A novel hydrothermal zirconium oxide (ZrO2) ion exchange material was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal technique. The material has been characterized using different tools such as thermal analysis (DTA-TGA), FT-IR and X-ray diffraction studies. The results show that the prepared ZrO2 is pure and with a unique shape and it belongs to the hexagonal system. Chemical resistively of the material for various media such as, water, acids and bases have been assessed. The capacity of ZrO2 ion exchanger for Na, Cu, Ni and Zn ions at natural pH has been determined. The effect of heating treatment for ZrO2 on ion exchange capacity was studied. The sorption/ion exchange behaviour of Cu, Ni and Zn ions towards ZrO2 in different pH media has been investigated. The distribution coefficients and separation factors were determined. Finally, Freundlich isotherms for Cu, Zn and Ni ions on hydrothermal ZrO2 ion exchanger were investigated and the Freundlich isotherm constants were conduced.