The Study of Ion Adsorption by Amorphous Blast Furnace Slag

In this study, the blast furnace slag was used as absorbing bed and then, its ionic adsorption was studied. For this reason, various experimental parameters such as pH, contact time and the primary ion concentration were investigated. The remaining concentrations of ions such as; Mn2+ and Fe2+ in water were measured by atomic adsorption spectroscopy. The chemical and phase composition of slag, before and after ion removal, was investigated. SEM, FTIR, XRD, and EDAX, was used to have a clear understanding of the mechanism of ions removal by slag. The results showed that the removal mechanism of metal ions is carried by adsorption and ion exchange processes. The ionic radius is one of the determining parameters on the process at higher concentration of ions. This study demonstrates that steel slag can be considered as a viable and cost-effective alternative to commercial activated carbon or ion-exchange resins.