Developing decontamination technologies through studying diffusion in zeolite adsorbents

To aid the design and optimisation of cost-effective decontamination technologies used to remove toxic compounds from ground water in Ghana, the diffusion of water in zeolite molecular sieve candidates (zeolite A) synthesised in an economical manner from local clay minerals will be studied using quasielastic neutron scattering. Each zeolite sample, synthesised cheaply from Ghanaian kaolin and bauxite, will contain a different counterion (Ca2+, K+. Na+) which is expected to interact at different strengths with both water, and the potential contaminants (arsenic compounds, organonitriles). A comparison of diffusion rates and mechanisms in these potential zeolite candidates will not only provide insight into crucial sorbate-framework interactions in the design of decontamination technologies, but form the basis for future studies into the behaviour of the pollutants in these materials.