Effect of pH, ionic strength, foreign ions and humic substances on Th(IV) sorption to GMZ bentonite studied by batch experiments

Bentonite has been studied extensively because of its strong sorption and complexation ability. Herein, GMZ bentonite from Gaomiaozi county (Inner Mongolia, China) was investigated as the candidate of backfill material for the removal of Th(IV) ions from aqueous solutions. The results indicate that the sorption of Th(IV) is strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength at pH < 5, and independent of ionic strength at pH > 5. Outer-sphere surface complexation or ion-exchange are the main mechanism of Th(IV) sorption on GMZ bentonite at low pH values, whereas the sorption of Th(IV) at pH > 5 is mainly dominated by inner-sphere surface complexation or surface precipitation. Soil fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) have a positive influence on the sorption of Th(IV) on bentonite at pH < 5. The different addition sequences of HA and Th(IV) to GMZ bentonite suspensions have no obvious effect on Th(IV) sorption to HA-bentonite hybrids. The high sorption capacity of Th(IV) on GMZ bentonite suggests that the GMZ bentonite can remove Th(IV) ions from large volumes of aqueous solutions in real work.     

Sorption of Eu(III) onto Gaomiaozi bentonite by batch technique as a function of pH, ionic strength, and humic acid

The bentonite from Gaomiaozi county (Inner Mongolia, China) (denoted as GMZ bentonite) was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The effect of pH, contact time, ionic strength, humic acid (HA) and Eu(III) concentrations on Eu(III) sorption to the GMZ bentonite was studied by batch technique under ambient conditions. The sorption of Eu(III) on GMZ bentonite was strongly dependent on pH and independent of ionic strength. The sorption of Eu(III) on GMZ bentonite was mainly dominated by surface complexation rather than by ion exchange. The presence of HA enhanced Eu(III) sorption at low pH values, but decreased Eu(III) sorption at high pH values. The enhanced sorption of Eu(III) on GMZ bentonite at low pH was attributed to the strong complexation of Eu(III) with surface adsorbed HA on GMZ bentonite and the reduced sorption of Eu(III) at high pH was attributed to the formation of soluble HA–Eu complexes in aqueous solution. The strong sorption of Eu(III) on GMZ bentonite suggested that the GMZ bentonite could be used as the backfill material in nuclear waste disposal.     

Application of NKF-6 zeolite for the removal of U(VI) from aqueous solution

To better understand the application of NKF-6 zeolite as an adsorbent for the removal of U(VI) from radionuclides and heavy metal ions polluted water, herein, NKF-6 zeolite was employed to remove U(VI) at different experimental conditions. The influence of solid/liquid ratio, contact time, pH, ionic strength, humic substances and temperature on sorption of U(VI) to NKF-6 zeolite was investigated using batch technique under ambient conditions. The experimental results demonstrated that the sorption of U(VI) on NKF-6 zeolite was strongly dependent on pH. The sorption property of U(VI) was influenced by ionic strength at pH < 7.0, whereas was independent of ionic strength at pH > 7.0. The presence of fulvic acid or humic acid promoted the sorption of U(VI) on NKF-6 zeolite at low pH values while restrained the sorption at high pH values. The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ΔS ⁰, ΔH ⁰, and ΔG ⁰) calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms demonstrated that the sorption process of U(VI) on NKF-6 zeolite was endothermic and spontaneous. At low pH values, the sorption of U(VI) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation and ion exchange with Na⁺/H⁺ on NKF-6 zeolite surfaces, while inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH values. From the experimental results, one can conclude that NKF-6 zeolite can be used as a potential adsorbent for the preconcentration and solidification of U(VI) from large volumes of aqueous solutions.     

Interaction of U(VI) with Na-attapulgite in the presence and absence of humic acid as a function of pH, ionic strength and temperature

The interaction of U(VI) with Na-attapulgite was studied by using batch technique at different experimental conditions. The effect of contact time, solid content, pH, ionic strength and temperature on the sorption of U(VI) onto Na-attapulgite in the presence and absence of humic acid was also investigated. The results showed that the sorption of U(VI) on Na-attapulgite achieved sorption equilibrium quickly. Sorption of U(VI) on Na-attapulgite increased quickly with increasing pH at pH < 6.5, and then decreased with pH increasing at pH > 6.5. The sorption curves were shifted to left in low NaClO₄ solutions as compared those in high NaClO₄ solutions. The sorption was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. The sorption was dominated by ion exchange or outer-sphere surface complexation at low pH values, and by inner-sphere surface complexation or surface precipitation at high pH values. The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰, and ΔG ⁰) for the sorption of U(VI) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms, and the results suggested that the sorption reaction was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The Na-attapulgite is a suitable material in the removal and preconcentration of U(VI) from large volumes of aqueous solutions in nuclear waste management.     

Impact of environmental conditions on the sorption behavior of Pb(II) onto attapulgite

This paper examined the application of attapulgite as an adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) from heavy metal-contaminated water under various conditions. The sorption results indicated that the sorption of Pb(II) on attapulgite was strongly dependent on ionic strength at pH < 7.0. Outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange may be the main sorption mechanism of Pb(II) on attapulgite at low pH values. No drastic difference of Pb(II) sorption was observed at pH 7.0–10.0, and the sorption at pH > 10.0 was mainly dominated by inner-sphere surface complexation. The sorption of Pb(II) on attapulgite was affected by foreign ions in solution at pH < 7.0, and was not affected by foreign ions at pH > 7.0. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH°, ΔS° and ΔG°) were evaluated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms, and the results indicated that the sorption process of Pb(II) on attapulgite was spontaneous and endothermic in nature.     

Impact of environmental conditions on the sorption behavior of 60Co(II) on illite

In this work, a naturally occurring illite was characterized by using FT-IR and XRD technique to determine its surface functional groups and crystal structure. Sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on illite as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, humic substances and temperature was studied under ambient condition using batch technique. The results indicated that the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on illite is strongly affected by pH values (2–9) and ionic strength. A positive effect of humic substances on ⁶⁰Co(II) sorption was found at pH < 7.0, whereas a negative effect was observed at pH > 7.0. At low pH, the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation and ion exchange with Na⁺/H⁺ on illite surfaces, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to simulate the sorption isotherms of ⁶⁰Co(II) at three different temperatures of 298.15, 323.15 and 343.15 K. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰ and ΔG ⁰) calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption process of ⁶⁰Co(II) on illite was endothermic and spontaneous.     

Solution chemistry effects on sorption behavior of 109Cd(II) on Ca-montmorillonite

The sorption of radiocadmium on Ca-montmorillonite as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) was studied using batch technique. The results demonstrated that the sorption of Cd(II) was dependent on ionic strength at pH < 9, and was independent of ionic strength at pH > 9. Outer-sphere surface complexation and/or ion exchange were the main mechanism of Cd(II) sorption on Ca-montmorillonite at low pH, whereas the sorption at high pH was mainly dominated via inner-sphere surface complexation. The sorption of Cd(II) on Ca-montmorillonite was dependent on foreign ions at low pH values, but was independent of foreign ions at high pH values. A positive effect of HA/FA on Cd(II) sorption was found at low pH values, whereas a negative effect was observed at high pH values. The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ??H ⁰, ??S ⁰, ??G ⁰) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms, and the results indicated that the sorption process of Cd(II) on Ca-montmorillonite was spontaneous and endothermic.     

Removal of radiocobalt ions from aqueous solutions by natural halloysite nanotubes

In this study, natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were applied to remove radiocobalt from wastewaters under various environmental parameters such as contact time, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions and temperature by using batch technique. The results indicated that the sorption of Co(II) on HNTs was dependent on ionic strength at pH < 8.5 and independent of ionic strength at pH > 8.5. Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to simulate the sorption isotherms of Co(II) at three different temperatures of 293, 313 and 333 K. Langmuir model fitted the sorption isotherms of Co(II) on HNTs better than Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔG ⁰, ΔS ⁰ and ΔH ⁰) calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms manifested that the sorption of Co(II) on HNTs was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The sorption of Co(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange at low pH, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation or precipitation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. The experimental results show that HNTs have good potentialities for cost-effective disposal of cobalt-bearing wastewaters.     

Investigation of Co(II) sorption on GMZ bentonite from aqueous solutions by batch experiments

In this study, a local bentonite from Gaomiaozi county (Inner Mongolia, China) was converted to Na-bentonite and was characterized by FTIR and XRD to determine its chemical constituents and micro-structure. The removal of cobalt from aqueous solutions by Na-bentonite was investigated as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions and temperature by batch technique under ambient conditions. The results indicated that the sorption of Co(II) was strongly dependent on pH. At low pH, the sorption of Co(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and D-R models were used to simulate the sorption isotherms of Co(II) at the temperatures of 293.15, 313.15 and 333.15 K, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters (∆G°, ∆S°, ∆H°) of Co(II) sorption on GMZ bentonite calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption of Co(II) on GMZ bentonite was an exothermic and spontaneous process. The Na-bentonite is a suitable material for the preconcentration and solidification of Co(II) from aqueous solutions.     

Removal of U(VI) from aqueous solutions by using MWCNTs and chitosan modified MWCNTs

In this paper, the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified with chitosan (CS) by using low temperature plasma grafting technique (denoted as MWCNT-CS). The prepared MWCNTs and MWCNT-CS were characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy in detail and the results suggested that CS molecules were successfully grafted on the surfaces of MWCNTs. The materials were applied as adsorbents in the removal of U(VI) ions from large volumes of aqueous solutions as a function of environmental conditions. The removal of U(VI) from aqueous solution to MWCNTs and MWCNT-CS increased with increasing pH values at pH < 7, and then decreased with increasing pH values at pH > 7. The sorption of U(VI) on MWCNTs and MWCNT-CS was strongly dependent on pH and independent of ionic strength. The sorption of U(VI) on MWCNTs and MWCNT-CS was dominated by inner-sphere surface complexation rather than by ion exchange or outer-sphere surface complexation. The surface grafted chitosan molecules can enhances U(VI) sorption on MWCNTs obviously, which was also evidenced from the XPS spectroscopy analysis. The results of high sorption capacity of U(VI) on MWCNT-CS suggest that the MWCNT-CS nanomaterial is a suitable candidate in the preconcentration of U(VI) ions from large volumes of aqueous solutions.     

Sorption study of radionickel on attapulgite as a function of pH, ionic strength and temperature

Sorption of radionickel on attapulgite is studied as a function of contact time, ionic strength, pH and temperature. The results indicate that the sorption of Ni(II) on attapulgite is strongly ionic strength-dependent at pH <8, and independent of ionic strength at pH >8. Outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange contributes to Ni(II) sorption on attapulgite at pH <8, whereas the sorption of Ni(II) is mainly dominated by inner-sphere surface complexation at pH >8. The sorption of Ni(II) on attapulgite increases with increasing temperature, and the thermodynamic parameters (??H ⁰, ??G ⁰ and ??S ⁰) calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms suggest that the sorption of Ni(II) on attapulgite is a spontaneous and endothermic process. The high sorption capacity of attapulgite suggests that attapulgite is a suitable material for the preconcentration and solidification of radionickel from large volumes of aqueous solutions.     

Sorption of Th(IV) on MX-80 bentonite: effect of pH and modeling

MX-80 bentonite was characterized by XRD and FTIR in detail. The sorption of Th(IV) on MX-80 bentonite was studied as a function of pH and ionic strength in the presence and absence of humic acid/fulvic acid. The results indicate that the sorption of Th(IV) on MX-80 bentonite increases from 0 to 95% at pH range of 0–4, and then maintains high level with increasing pH values. The sorption of Th(IV) on bentonite decreases with increasing ionic strength. The diffusion layer model (DLM) is applied to simulate the sorption of Th(IV) with the aid of FITEQL 3.1 mode. The species of Th(IV) adsorbed on bare MX-80 bentonite are consisted of “strong” species o \textYOHTh^{4 +} \equiv {\text{YOHTh}}^{4 + } at low pH and “weak” species o \textXOTh(OH)₃ \equiv {\text{XOTh(OH)}}_{3} at pH > 4. On HA bound MX-80 bentonite, the species of Th(IV) adsorbed on HA-bentonite hybrids are mainly consisted of o \textYOThL₃ \equiv {\text{YOThL}}_{3} and o \textXOThL₁ \equiv {\text{XOThL}}_{1} at pH < 4, and o \textXOTh(OH)₃ \equiv {\text{XOTh(OH)}}_{3} at pH > 4. Similar species of Th(IV) adsorbed on FA bound MX-80 bentonite are observed as on FA bound MX-80 bentonite. The sorption isotherm is simulated by Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) models, respectively. The sorption mechanism of Th(IV) on MX-80 bentonite is discussed in detail.     

Impact of environmental conditions on the removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution to bentonite/iron oxide magnetic composites

The sorption of radionuclide ⁶³Ni(II) on bentonite/iron oxide magnetic composites was investigated by batch technique under ambient conditions. The effect of contact time, solid content, pH, coexistent electrolyte ions, fulvic acid, and temperature on Ni(II) sorption to bentonite/iron oxide magnetic composites was examined. The results demonstrated that the sorption of Ni(II) was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength at pH <8.0, and was independent of pH and ionic strength at high pH values. The sorption of Ni(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange at low pH, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. The experimental data were well fitted by Langmuir model. The thermodynamic parameters (∆G°, ∆S°, ∆H°) calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption of Ni(II) on bentonite/iron oxide magnetic composites was an endothermic and spontaneous processes. The results show that bentonite/iron oxide magnetic composites are promising magnetic materials for the preconcentration and separation of radionickel from aqueous solutions in environmental pollution.     

Impact of environmental conditions on the sorption behavior of UO<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>2+</Superscript> onto attapulgite studied by batch experiments

The sorption of UO₂ ²⁺ from aqueous solution on attapulgite was investigated as a function of contact time, solid content, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, humic acid (HA), and fulvic acid (FA) under ambient conditions by using batch technique. The attapulgite sample was characterized by XRD and FTIR in detail. The results indicated that the sorption of UO₂ ²⁺ was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. The sorption of UO₂ ²⁺ on attapulgite increased quickly with rising pH at pH < 6.5, and decreased with increasing pH at pH > 6.5. The presence of HA or FA enhanced the sorption of UO₂ ²⁺ on attapulgite obviously at low pH because of the strong complexation of surface adsorbed HA/FA with UO₂ ²⁺ on attapulgite surface. Sorption of UO₂ ²⁺ on attapulgite was mainly dominated by ion-exchange or outer-sphere surface complexation at low pH values, but by inner-sphere surface complexation at high pH values. The results indicate that attapulgite is a very suitable adsorbent for the preconcentration and solidification of UO₂ ²⁺ from large volumes of aqueous solutions because of its negative surface charge and large surface areas.     

Effect of pH,ionic strength,fulvic acid and humic acid on sorption of Th(IV) on Na-rectorite

Sorption of Th(IV) on Na-rectorite as a function of pH, ionic strength, soil humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) are studied under ambient conditions by using a batch technique. The results indicate that the sorption of Th(IV) on Na-rectorite is not only dependent on medium pH values, but also dependent on medium ionic strength and humic substances. Surface complexation and cation competition exchange account for Th(IV) sorption on Na-rectorite. The sorption of Th(IV) on Na-rectorite decreases with the increase on the concentration of NaNO₃, Mg(NO₃)₂ and Ca(NO₃)₂, and increases with the increasing amount of HA/FA in the suspension/adsorbed on rectorite. Soil HA/FA enhances the sorption of Th(IV) on rectorite at medium pH<4 drastically, but the presence of FA reduces the sorption of Th(IV) at medium pH>6, and HA has no effect on Th(IV) sorption at medium pH>6. An interpretation for the results is attempted, considering the occurrence of different sorption mechanisms.     

Characterization of radioactive cobalt on graphene oxide by macroscopic and spectroscopic techniques

Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized using the modified Hummers method and characterized by XRD and FTIR. The sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on GO as a function of contact time, pH, polyacrylic acid, ionic strength, temperature and solution concentration was studied by batch technique. The sorption kinetics indicated that the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on GO could be simulated by the pseudo-second-order model very well. The maximum sorption capacities of GO for ⁶⁰Co(II) calculated from Langmuir model at pH 6.40 and T = 300 K was ~62.0 mg/g. The thermodynamic parameters from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the ⁶⁰Co(II) sorption on GO was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The interaction mechanism between GO and Co(II) were outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange at pH <7, whereas the inner-sphere surface complexation was observed at pH 7–9 in terms of the analysis of XPS spectra.     

Neptunium, plutonium and 137Cs sorption by bentonite clays and their speciation in pore waters

Summary The properties of bentonite to remove radionuclides from aqueous solutions were studied as a function of pH and ionic strength. The sorption of cesium is due to ion-exchange while in the case of actinides, sorption is defined by surface complexation at neutral and slightly alkaline conditions and by both mechanisms at acidic pH. Due to the presence of Fe(II), actinides are reduced to low valence states that defines their strong retention onto bentonite and low solubilities. The solubility of both neptunium and plutonium were in the order of 2 ^. 10^-8-4 ^. 10^-8M with amorphous An(IV)O₂ as solubility limiting phases.     

Adsorptive removal of U(VI) and Th(IV) from aqueous solutions using polymer-based electrospun PEO/PLLA fibrous membranes

Fibrous membranes based on poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(l-lactide) fabricated by electrospinning were evaluated for the first time as substrates for the adsorption of tetravalent thorium (Th(IV)) and hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) from aqueous media. The membranes consisted of microfibers with diameters of approximately 2 μm as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. The adsorption of Th(IV) and U(VI) on the membrane was investigated as a function of pH, ionic strength and initial metal concentration under normal atmospheric conditions. The experimental data indicated increased affinity of the membrane for Th(IV) and U(VI), which was pH depended and reaches maximum values (>90 %) for Th(IV) and U(VI) at pH 3 and pH 6.5, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity (q _max) at optimum conditions was evaluated from the Langmuir isotherm and was found to amount 50.08 and 9.3 mmol kg^?1 for Th(IV) and U(VI), respectively. In addition, studies on the effect of ionic strength on the adsorption efficiency did not show any significant effect indicating that the adsorption of Th(IV) and U(VI) on the membrane was most probably based on specific interactions and the formation of inner-sphere surface complexes. The significantly higher adsorption efficiency of the membrane for Th(IV) in acidic media (pH ≤ 3) could be utilized for a pH-triggered, selective separation of Th(IV) from U(VI) from aqueous media.     

Evaluation of Se(IV) removal from aqueous solution by GMZ Na-bentonite: batch experiment and modeling studies

Bentonite has been studied extensively because of its strong sorption and complexation ability. In this work, the sorption of Se(IV) on purified GMZ bentonite was investigated under ambient temperature as functions of contact time, pH, Se(IV) concentration and co-existing ion Eu(III) using batch techniques. Sorption kinetics of Se(IV) was successfully described by the pseudo-second-order rate equation. The sorption amount of Se(IV) was strongly dependent on the solution pH, and a positive effect was observed on Se(IV) and Eu(III) co-sorption when these two elements existed in the same system under high surface coverage of sorbent. Double layer model was set up and used to quantitatively interpret the sorption experimental data collected in binary and ternary sorption systems. From the experimental results, one can conclude that GMZ bentonite may have good potentialities for immobilizing selenium in nuclear wastes.     

Separation of no-carrier-added radioactive scandium from neutron irradiated titanium

In this work, sorption of Ni(II) from aqueous solution to goethite as a function of various water quality parameters and temperature was investigated. The results indicated that the pseudo-second-order rate equation fitted the kinetic sorption well. The sorption of Ni(II) to goethite was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. A positive effect of HA/FA on Ni(II) sorption was found at pH < 8.0, whereas a negative effect was observed at pH > 8.0. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and D-R models were applied to simulate the sorption isotherms at three different temperatures of 293.15 K, 313.15 K and 333.15 K. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰ and ΔG ⁰) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption, and the results indicated that the sorption was endothermic and spontaneous. At low pH, the sorption of Ni(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange with Na⁺/H⁺ on goethite surfaces, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH.