(From New Zealand Forest Research Institute, Measuring the cation exchange capacity of forest soils)
The standard materials were then saturated with cations by washing 5 times with 0.1M solution of Ca, Mg, K, Na and Al, followed by a rinse of ethanol to remove excess cations.Final volume of all wash solutions including ethanol was determined and solutions were analyzed for cations by ICP-AES. Cation exchange capacity was then determined by summation of cation loss from saturating solution.
Final CEC of each material was 2.2 34.8, and 49.3cmol/Kg for kaolinite, vermiculite and the organic matter, respectively. Which approved that vermiculite has a excellent ion exchange capacity.

Application
The ion exchange capacity (up to 1000 milliequivalents per kg) of vermiculite allows it to be used in fluid purification processes for waste water, chemical processing and the pollution control of air in mines and gases in industrial processes. In addition to its cation exchange properties expanded vermiculite will retain liquids within the inter-laminar voids of the individual particles as well as between the particles themselves.[1]
The water treatment is split into soften water treatment and water purification treatment, Ion exchange process includes condensation, filter, activated carbon adsorption, exhaust, oil film processing, etc. The vermiculite cation exchange treatment method is to use ion exchange property in water treatment. It has much better effect and more extensive applications.
In heavy metal wastewater treatment, the first is using coagulation precipitation to remove cadmium, lead, copper, zinc and other heavy metals which containing a large part of the wastewater, and then use vermiculite ion exchange performance to absorb them completely.
The using of cation exchange of vermiculite in industrial wastewater treatment is only a small part. It also can be used as solid catalyst for solid & alkali, and in purification and recycling of electronic material, iodine, electrolyte, saline etc field.
The vermiculite can be applied as incombustible hazardous substance adsorbent in chemical leak; dust absorbent and air purification in air cleaner; separation and adsorption of leak oil in ocean oil pollution.
The ion exchange of vermiculite can be also used in water treatment in medicine production, and extraction, separation and purification of Pharmaceutical ingredient. The ion exchange property can be also used in food industrial, water treatment equipments, such as pigment removal, salt removal, elimination of harmful substances and beneficial material absorption.

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