HEAVY METAL REMOVAL USING GEOPOLYMERS – A MODERN APPROACH FOR POLLUTION CONTROL

References: 14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014, www.sgem.org, SGEM2014 Conference Proceedings, ISBN 978-619-7105-16-2 / ISSN 1314-2704, June 19-25, 2014, Book 4, Vol. 2, 95-102 pp

ABSTRACT
Geopolymers are inorganic polymers compiled of SiO4 and AlO4 chains, bonded by a
shared oxygen atom and balanced by cations. Because of their flame resistance,
geopolymers are nowadays used as a construction material and fillers. Geopolymers
used for heavy metal immobilization particularly consist of aluminosilicates and fly ash
and their mixture. This study is focused on heavy metal removal using geopolymers,
especially Cu, Cd, Pb and Cr. However late studies have proven, that geopolymers have
a great potential for heavy metal removal, their alternative usage in field of pollutant
control and immobilization from the environment requires further research and testing.

Keywords: aluminosilicates, fly ash, geopolymers, heavy metals