Radiation and thermal effects on cobalt retention by Mexican aluminosilicates

Thermal and radiation effects on the leaching of cobalt from two cobalt exchanged zeolites and one clay were determined. The cobalt exchanged aluminosilicates were heated at different temperatures (500, 700, 900 and 1100 °C), and the materials were then treated with NaCl (1 and 5 M) and HNO3 (0.001 and 1 M) solutions to determine the leaching behavior of cobalt from the materials. Cobalt showed greater stability when the materials were heated at the highest temperature. The unheated samples and those heated at 1100 °C were gamma irradiated, and it was found that cobalt leaching from gamma irradiated aluminosilicates was higher than that for non-irradiated materials.