New sodium activated vermiculite process. Testing on Cu2+ removal from tailing dam waters.

New sodium activated vermiculite was used as Cu2+ adsorbent on water simulating the composition of tailing dam of a copper mine in the north region of Brazil. Starting material was vermiculite applied as thermal insulator and adsorbent of Sigma-Aldrich chemical products packs. Characterization was made by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and N2 adsorption-desorption (77 K) to raw vermiculite (VERM) and sodium activated vermiculite (NaVERM) and SEM/EDS and FTIR to by-product metal like-xanthate. Activation process was very successful improving the Cu2+ adsorption in acidic medium by vermiculite from 38 to 79%. A bonus of the activation process was a production of metal like-xanthate (MEX) by hydrometallurgical leaching process.