LIMA, Juliana de Figueiredo.; RAPOSO, Claudia Maria de Oliveira.
Abstract:
The problems caused by environmental pollutants have drawn the attention of modern society. Among
these pollutants, we can highlight the presence of heavy metals which, with the advancement of
industrial activities have caused damage to the ecosystem. The vermiculite is a clay mineral with high
adsorbent power by having a large specific surface area and high cation exchange capacity.
Therefore, studies with the vermiculite have been made to minimize the availability of heavy metals in
the environment. This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of adsorption of metals Cr(III) and Pb(II) in
different concentrations, between 1-4 mmol (s), in vermiculite, concentrates on fine and medium,
thermally modified. The results showed significant variations on the crystallinity of fractions, fine and
medium for both metals evaluated showing that the exfoliated vermiculite is an excellent adsorbent of
heavy metals.
