The potential of heavy metal incorporation into clay precursors

Abstract

High amount of heavy metal waste produced from the industrial activities has become an important global issue for several decades due to its hazardous effect on the human and environment. Since heavy metal is highly toxic and cannot be eliminated easily, the application to reuse the heavy metal waste without harming the environment must be investigated thoroughly. This paper reviews the incorporation of heavy metal into clay precursors as a good potential for the reduction of environmental pollution. The results from the previous studies show the transformation of heavy metal such as copper, zinc, lead and cadmium into less hazardous species when incorporating into clay precursors. These transformations have reduced the mobility of heavy metal as a crystalline structure is formed after the thermal treatment. It is found that the immobilization process successfully stabilizing heavy metal and increases the metal’s resistance against the acidic attack through the formation of low permeable structure in the clay precursors. Hence, the incorporation of heavy metal into clay precursors is proven to be a great prospect in reducing environmental pollution.