Ultrasonic Activation of Mineral Sorbents

Introduction. Medical clays are polymineral sorbents with a predominance of the underlying clay mineral, the concentration of which determines the quality of mineral raw materials and its adsorption activity. One of the methods of improving the quality of mineral raw materials is its activation by means of ultrasonic treatment.Aim. To study the effect of ultrasound on the activation and adsorption activity of mineral sorbents.Materials and methods. Clinoptilolite mineral raw materials of the Kholinsky deposit, montmorillonite mineral raw materials of the Belgorod deposit and kaolinite mineral raw materials of the Eleninsky deposit were used as objects of research. A high-frequency UZDN-1 unit was used for ultrasonic treatment. Determination of adsorption activity was carried out by methylene blue.Results and discussion. The effect of ultrasound on the activation of mineral sorbents at an ultrasonic wave frequency of 40 kHz for five minutes has been studied. It was found that the average content of Clinoptilolite, taking into account all fractions in the clay of the Kholinsky deposit, increases by 20 %, the average content of Montmorillonite, taking into account all fractions in the clay of the Belgorod deposit, increases by 14 %, the average content of Kaolinite, taking into account all fractions in the clay of the Eleninsky deposit, increases by 18 %. The effect of ultrasound on the adsorption activity of mineral sorbents has been investigated. The use of ultrasonic treatment increases the adsorption activity of mineral sorbents by 12–19 %.Conclusion. The developed method of activation of mineral sorbents by ultrasonic treatment can be used to activate mineral sorbents by increasing the concentration of the underlying mineral (Clinoptilolite, Montmorillonite, Kaolinite), as well as increasing their adsorption activity.