Ionic exchange kinetics Na/Cu and associated volumetric variations.

The experimental study of microstructural and volume variations associated to heavy metals exchange with chelate resins is being prepared. These react ive systems are characterized by very important microstructural variations that have an influence on ionic exchange kinetics which has not yet been qu antified in the literature. A system of image analysis coupled with an opti cal microscope has been employed to quantify the volume variations of a sin gle particle during a complete cycle of charge, elution and regeneration. Several studies have also been realized about the alcaline ions exchange (s odium and potasium) with this type of resins, in order to obtain complement ary information about the microstructure.