Application of a carbonized apricot stone for the treatment of some radioactive nuclei

Apricot stone shells were carbonized under certain chemical and thermal conditions to produce sorbents having a quantitative affinity to retain some radioactive nuclei. The sorbent shows a thermal stability upto 500 °C. The diffraction patterns clarify that the sorbent is mainly amorphous in structure. Carbon in these shells was elementally analyzed and the data reveal a predominant content of acidic surface centers with hydrophilic properties. The isoelectric point (pH_PZC) was determined and found to be 4.2 implying the acidic nature of the sorbent surface. The sorption of Cs⁺, Co²⁺ and Eu³⁺ on the prepared sorbent was studied from aqueous solution under different variables and the sorption capacity had values from 0.23-1.15 meq/g.     

Uranium sorption on amorphous titanium and zirconium phosphates modified by Al3+ or Fe3+ ions

The sorption of uranium from aqueous solutions on titanium and zirconium phosphates in H⁺ and K⁺ forms modified by iron or aluminum ions has been investigated. The modified pattern of porosity is much better, than for none modified analogous, owing to their increased sorption capacity and kinetics of uranium absorption. The modified sorbents display selectivity towards uranium, that allows to purify solutions up to the content of uranium below the limit of its analytical definition.     

Studies on sorption of antimony and europium from liquid organic and aqueous radioactive wastes on different sorbents

Sorption of¹²⁴Sb(III) from benzene, toluene, o-xylene and nitrobenzene on treated fly ash, pyrolysis residue and bentonite clay was studied at room temperature using the batch method. In comparison to a former study for the sorption of¹²⁴Sb(V), the results revealed relatively higher sorption of the trivalent state than the pentavalent one. According to the type of the nonpolar solvent used, the order of uptake of the radioactive isotopes was often o-xylenetoluene>benzene. The sorption tendency of the sorbents used towards the radionuclides was: bentonitepyrolysis residue>treated fly ash. Sorption from an aqueous medium on the same sorbents has also been investigated for¹²⁴Sb(III) compared to¹²⁴Sb(V),¹⁵²Eu(III) and their mixtures. The obtained results showed that the order of uptake of the different radionuclides was: Eu(III)>>Sb(III)>Sb(V)>mixture. The investigation was extended to the desorption studies of these radionuclides in the acidic and the neutral media from the dried radioactivity loaded sorbents.     

Separation of Y from Sr by zirconium vanadate gel ion-exchanger sorbent: kinetics and thermodynamic study

A new zirconium vanadate (Zr–V) ion-exchanger was synthesized and characterized for fast and selective separation procedure of ⁹⁰Y from ⁸⁹Sr. The method was based on ⁹⁰Y(III) sorption from aqueous HCl solution containing ⁸⁹Sr(II) onto Zr–V gel exchanger. The kinetics of Y(III) sorption from HCl solution by Zr–V exchanger was subjected to Weber–Morris, Lagergren, Bhattacharya and Venkobachar, and Bt models. Initially, the uptake of Y(III) onto the exchanger was fast followed by kinetically first-order sorption with an overall rate constant, K _Lager = (3.55 ± 0.03) × 10^?4 min^?1. Film and intraparticle transport are the two steps that might influence Y(III) sorption. The negative values of ΔG of ⁹⁰Y retention dictate that, the process is a spontaneous. The negative values of ΔH and ΔS reflect the exothermic nature of ⁹⁰Y(IIsorption and the random uptake of ⁹⁰Y(III) onto Zr–V sorbent. Zr–V exchanger offers unique advantages of ⁹⁰Y(III) retention over conventional solid sorbents in rapid and effective separation of traces of ⁹⁰Y(III) from Sr. The exchanger was successfully packed in column for an effective separation of ⁹⁰Y.     

Sorption of uranium on magnetite nanoparticles

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticle was synthesized using a solid state mechanochemical method and used for studying the sorption of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution onto the nanomaterial. The synthesized product is characterized using SEM, XRD and XPS. The particles were found to be largely agglomerated. XPS analysis showed that Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio of the product is 0.58. Sorption of uranium on the synthesized nanomaterials was studied as a function of various operational parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration, ionic strength and contact time. pH studies showed that uranium sorption on magnetite is maximum in neutral solution. Uranium sorption onto magnetite showed two step kinetics, an initial fast sorption completing in 4–6 h followed by a slow uptake extending to several days. XPS analysis of the nanoparticle after sorption of uranium showed presence of the reduced species U(IV) on the nanoparticle surface. Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio of the nanoparticle after uranium sorption was found to be 0.48, lower than the initial value indicating that some of the ferrous ion might be oxidized in the presence of uranium(VI). Uranium sorption studies were also conducted with effluent from ammonium diuranate precipitation process having a uranium concentration of about 4 ppm. 42% removal was observed during 6 h of equilibration.     

Chemical enrichment and separation of uranyl ions in aqueous media using novel polyurethane foam chemically grafted with different basic dyestuff sorbents

The new type of the grafted polyurethane foam sorbents were prepared by coupling polyether polyol, toluene diisocyanate and basic dyestuff (Methylene blue, Rhodamine B and Brilliant green). The Me.B-PUF, Rh.B-PUF and Br.G-PUF were characterized using UV/vis, IR and TGA. The adsorption properties and chromatographic behaviour of these new adsorbents for preconcentration and separation of uranium(VI) ions at low concentrations from aqueous thiocyanate media were investigated by a batch process. The maximum sorption of U(VI) was in the pH ranges 1-4. The kinetics of sorption of the U(VI) by the Grafted-PUF were found to be fast with half life of sorption (t_1/2) in 2.43 min. The average sorption capacity of different sorbents 0.124 meq g⁻¹ for uranyl ions, enrichment factors ≈40 and the recovery 98-100% were achieved (R.S.D. ≈ 0.73%). The basic dyestuff Grafted-PUF could be used many times without decreasing their capacities significantly. The value of the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) for the sorbents is −7.3 kJ mol⁻¹, which reflects the spontaneous nature of sorption process. The sorption mechanism of the metal ion onto Grafted-PUF was also discussed.     

Preconcentration of arsenic(V) as molybdoarsenic heteropoly acid by dynamic sorption

The sorption of molybdoarsenic heteropoly acid (MAA) and its ion pair with tri-n-octylamine (TOA) on sorbents of different nature and hydrophobic filters has been studied. It is demonstrated that MAA is efficiently extracted on the polyacrylate sorbent Amberlyte XAD-8; the distribution coefficient of arsenic is 1 x 10⁴ cm³/g for the sorption from 0.35-1.5 M H₂SO₄. Conditions of the quantitative extraction of MAA in the presence of TOA on thin-layer cellulose triacetate filters are found. A procedure is proposed for the sorption-X-ray fluorescence determination of arsenic in potable water. The detection limit of arsenic is 10 Μg/L for the sorption from 100 mL of a solution.     

Methods for sorption purification of underground water to remove uranium

Possibility was examined of using sorption purification of underground water containing 246 μg dm^–3 of uranium to remove this component with zeolite and shungite of natural origin, technogenic phosphogypsum, and products of their modification under static and dynamic sorption conditions. Copper(II), nickel, and zinc hydroxides served as modifying agents. It was shown that the modified sorbents enable a substantially higher extraction of uranium into the sorbent under static and dynamic sorption conditions. The water purification reached the level satisfying the requirements of hygienic regulation GN 2.1.5.1315–03 (maximum permissible concentration of chemical substances in water of household and cultural water bodies), imposed on technical-grade water used for industrial purposes.     

Generating aerodynamic surrogate nuclear explosion debris (SNED)

In this work, a brand new organic superficial active sorbent l-Cysteine hydrochloride modified bentonite (LCMB) has been developed and proposed for treatment of contaminated water containing uranium. Correlation between different factors such as pH, contact time, temperature, initial concentration of U(VI) and efficiency of LCMB for uranium absorption are discussed. At uranium content in water from 25 to 250 mg L^?1, the sorption capacity for LCMB reached 208.3 mg g^?1 that is essentially higher in comparison with other sorbents and notably improved from 77 mg g^?1 after modification.     

Chitosan impregnated Ca-alginate: a new hybrid material for removal of uranium from potable water

Novel sorbent, chitosan impregnated calcium alginate (Cal-Alg-Chi) bead was developed to sorb uranium from potable water without compromising water quality parameters. The uptake study in batch mode, showed more than 98% sorption of uranium in the concentration range of 0.1–50 µg mL⁻¹. Cal-Alg-Chi beads, reduced the concentration of uranium below 15 ng mL⁻¹ from 100 to 450 ng mL⁻¹ in groundwater collected from effected regions in India. Sorption isotherm followed Langmuir model and maximum sorption capacity was evaluated as 36.04 mg g⁻¹. The sorption was endothermic with ΔG ⁰ value of −9.76 kJ mol⁻¹ and kinetics followed pseudo-second order rate law.

     

Ion exchange studies of U(VI) from aqueous Arsenazo-III solutions using AG-2X8, Dowex-50WX8 and Chelex-100 resins

The distribution of U(VI) between the anion exchanger AG-2X8, the cation exchanger Dowex-50WX8 and the chelating resin Chelex-100 and aqueous solutions of Arsenazo-III at different pH values was studied. The concentration of Arsenazo-III was in the range of 1.53·10^–4–1.23·10^–3M. Equilibrium pH was varied from 1.0 to 8.78 while U(VI) original concentration was held constant at 3.39·10^–4M. The effect of Arsenazo-III concentration and the variation of hydrogen ion concentration on U(VI) species formed in solution as well as the sorbed species was discussed. Use was made of IR spectroscopy to investigate the sorption behavior. The sorption of some interfering ions such as Th(IV), Zr(IV) and Ce(III) on the resins used at optimum conditions for the sorption of U(VI) was also investigated.     

Diethylenetriamine-functionalized chitosan magnetic nano-based particles for the sorption of rare earth metal ions [Nd(III), Dy(III) and Yb(III)]

The recovery of three rare earth (RE) metals ions [Yb(III), Dy(III) and Nd(III), belonging to heavy, mild and light REs, respectively] was investigated using hybrid chitosan-magnetic nano-based particles functionalized by diethylenetriamine (DETA). The effect of pH on sorption performance was analyzed: the optimum initial pH value was found close to 5 (equilibrium pH value close to 6.5). The nanometric size of sorbent particles (30–50 nm) minimized the contribution of resistance to intraparticle diffusion on the control of uptake kinetics, which is efficiently modeled using the pseudo-second order rate equation: under selected experimental conditions the contact time required for reaching equilibrium was less than 1 h. Sorption isotherms were efficiently modeled using the Langmuir equation: maximum sorption capacities reached about 50 mg metal g^?1, regardless of the RE. The temperature had a very limited effect on sorption capacity (in the range 300–320 K). The thermodynamic parameters were determined: the sorption was endothermic (positive values of ΔH°), spontaneous (negative values of ΔG°) and contributed to increasing the disorder of the system (positive values of ΔS°). The three REs have similar sorption properties on DETA-functionalized chitosan magnetic nano-based particles: the selective separation of these elements seems to be difficult. The sorbed metal ions can be removed from loaded sorbents using thiourea, and the sorbent can be recycled for at least five sorption/desorption cycles with a limited loss in sorption performance (by less than 6 %). The saturation magnetization was close to 20 emu g^?1; this means that nano-based superparamagnetic particles can be readily recovered by an external magnetic field, making the processing of these materials easy.     

Solid Phase Extraction of Uranium by Naphthalene‐Methyltrioctylammonium Chloride and Arsenazo(III) Adsorbent and Subsequent Spectrophotometric Determination

A simple and effective method has been presented for the preconcentration of uranium by solid phase extraction. For this purpose arsenazo(III) supported on naphthalene‐methyltrioctylammonium chloride was used as an adsorbent and uranium solution at pH 3.5 with flow rate of 1 mL·min⁻¹ was passed through the column. Therefore, uranium‐arsenazo(III) complex was formed onto column. Uranium was quantitatively eluted with 5 mL of a 0.1% ammonium tetraphenylborate and determined by spectrophotometric method at 652 nm. Several parameters such as pH, amount of reagents, sample volume, etc. were investigated. The effect of diverse ions on the preconcentration has also been studied and the optimized conditions developed have been utilized for the trace determination of uranium. A preconcentration factor of 100 was achieved. The relative standard deviation (N=8) was 0.5% for 3 ng· mL⁻¹ of uranium. The three sigma detection limit (36) was 0.045 ng·mL⁻¹     

Palladium and platinum sorption using chitosan-based hydrogels

Two chitosan hydrogels (prepared by NaOH neutralization and by polyphosphate ionotropic gelation) have been tested in the dry state for Pd(II) and Pt(IV) sorption at pH 2. Similar sorption isotherms with maximum sorption capacities close to 190 mg Pd g⁻¹ and 235 mg Pt g⁻¹ were achieved. The sorption mechanism involves electrostatic attraction of the chloro-anionic species onto protonated amine groups; the drastic decrease of sorption capacity with the addition of chloride ions supports this hypothesis. SEM-EDAX analysis suggests that sorption proceeds, in kinetic terms, through a shrinking core mechanism. Metal ions can diffuse throughout all the sorbent volume. The main differences between the sorbents are revealed by kinetics. The hydrogels prepared by ionotropic gelation in polyphosphate (C-PPh) allows reaching equilibrium much faster than the hydrogels prepared by the neutralization process (C-NaOH). While for C-PPh sorbent the chemical reaction rate seems to control sorption profiles, in the case of C-NaOH a combination of mechanisms including intraparticle diffusion resistance controls uptake kinetics. Metal desorption from loaded sorbents is possible using thiourea alone or in association with HCl solutions. The recycling of the sorbents is possible but for a limited number of cycles.     

Sorption and desorption of uranyl ions by silica gel: pH,particle size and porosity effects

Uranium sorption by silica gel was shown to be very sensitive to pH; the optimum pH range is ca. 5–5.5, which coincides with the appearance of hydrolysed forms of uranyl. A two-phase surface mechanism is proposed: first the adsorption of hydrolysed forms, which precipitate later on the surface of the oxide, then the removal of residue at the new sorbing surface by adsorption or precipitation. Particle size and pore characteristics have a limited effect on equilibrium concentration, but greatly influence sorption kinetics. A two-phase kinetic mechanism is proposed which gives external and intraparticle mass transfer coefficients of the order of 10⁻⁷−10⁻⁵ and 10⁻⁸−10⁻⁷ m min⁻¹, respectively. Both a mesoporous and a microporous silica gel were examined in order to determine the influence of pore size on sorption kinetics: the ratio between solute size and pore diameter appears to be the major factor in governing the uptake rate. The desorption of silica gel was also studied, particularly concerning the nature and concentration of the elution agent. Acid solutions are most effective at removing uranium. Using a batch system the number of moles of acid needs to be eight times greater than those of uranium in order to obtain a desorption efficiency higher than 90%. In dynamic desorption, on the other hand, 0.5 M hydrochloric acid gives both total desorption and optimal metal recovery. Eluate concentrations as high as 100–200 g l⁻¹ can be obtained. Furthermore, when seven sorption-desorption cycles were carried out using the column system, removal performances were maintained and the sorbent could be re-used.     

Thermodynamic and kinetic investigations of uranium adsorption on soil

In order to understand the mobility of uranium it is very important to know about its sorption kinetics and the thermodynamics behind the sorption process on soil. In the present study the sorption kinetics of uranium was studied in soil and the influence parameters to the sorption process, such as initial uranium concentration, pH, contact time and temperature were investigated. Distribution coefficient of uranium on soil was measured by laboratory batch method. Experimental isotherms evaluated from the distribution coefficients were fit to Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin?CRadushkevich (D?CR) models. The sorption energy for uranium from the D?CR adsorption isotherm was calculated to be 7.07?kJ?mol^?1.The values of ??H and ??S were calculated to be 37.33?kJ?mol^?1 and 162?J?K^?1?mol^?1, respectively. ??G at 30?°C was estimated to be ?11.76?kJ?mol^?1. From sorption kinetics of uranium the reaction rate was calculated to be 1.6?×?10^?3?min^?1.     

Silica gel-immobilized-vanillin derivatives as selective solid-phase extractants for determination of chromium (III) in environmental samples by ICP-OES

A method is described for the selective extraction of chromium(III) from aqueous solutions and natural water samples, based on the use of two newly synthesized solid-phase extractors via silica gel-immobilized-vanillin derivatives (I,II). Experimental conditions for effective adsorption of trace levels of Cr(III) were optimized with respect to different experimental parameters using batch and column procedures in detail. The optimum pH values for the separation of Cr(III) simultaneously on the newly sorbents were both 4.0 and complete elution of Cr(III) from the sorbents surface was carried out using 2.0 mL of 0.5 mol L^− 1 HCl. The sorption capacity of phase I towards Cr(III) was found to be 0.700 mmol g^− 1 where the sorption capacity of phase II was 0.538 mmol g^− 1. The detection limits (3σ) of the method defined by IUPAC were found to be 0.87 and 0.64 ng mL^− 1 with enrichment factors of 100 and 75 for phases I and II, respectively. The method has been applied for the determination of Cr(III) in biological materials and water samples with satisfactory results.     

Sorption of iron(III) and iron(II) from acidic chloride solutions by polyether and polyester type polyurethane foams

Summary Iron(III) is sorbed by polyether type open-cell polyurethane foams from HCl solutions of 4 mol/l or higher. The capacity of the foams is around 50 mg·l^–1. The iron (III) sorbed can be eluted from the foam with 0.01 mol/l HCl or distilled water. An optimization of the sorption conditions showed that the process can be used for analytical applications. The polyurethane foam sorbents examined did not sorb iron(II). The mechanism of sorption by polyether foams seems to follow a mechanism similar to that of the extraction of iron(III) by etheric solvents.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">tert</Emphasis>-Butylcalix[8]arene loaded silica gel for preconcentration of uranium(VI) via solid phase extraction

This paper reports silica gel loaded with p-tert-butylcalix[8]arene as a new solid phase extractor for determination of trace level of uranium. Effective extraction conditions were optimized in column methods prior to determination by spectrophotometry using arsenazo(III). The results showed that U(VI) ions can be sorbed at pH 6 in a mini-column and quantitative recovery of U(VI) (>95–98%) was achieved by stripping 0.4 mol L⁻¹ HCl. The sorption capacity of the functionalized sorbent is 0.072 mmol uranium(VI) g⁻¹ modified silica gel. The relative standard deviation and detection limit were 1.2% (n = 10) for 1 μg uranium(VI) mL⁻¹ solution and 0.038 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The method was employed to the preconcentration of U(VI) ions from spiked ground water samples.     

Preconcentration of U(VI) from aqueous solutions after sorption using Sorel’s cement in dynamic mode

Summary Mg(OH)₂ was identified as a component of Sorel’s cement being a very strong sorbent for uranium. Sorel’s cement is a mixture of MgO, MgCl₂ and water. The optimal conditions for the adsorption of U(VI) was studied by the batch method. A contact time of 2 hours was found to be optimum. Maximum U(VI) uptake was observed in a pH range of 5.5-6.5 with a sorption constant of K_ads = 0.9 h^-1 at initial concentration of 20 ppm. Polypropylene columns filled with 2 g of Sorel’s cement at a mesh size of 35 were used for the preconcentration of uranium by passing 8 l of water containing 10 ppb U(VI). A flow rate of 0.25 ml/min and a bed height of 5 cm were found to be the optimum for the U(VI) separation. A 5 wt% triphenylphosphine oxide solution in toluene was used as an organic solvent for the separation of uranium from interfering elements such as iron(III) and thorium(IV), prior to spectrophotometric analysis. The determination of U(VI) was accomplished by adding Arsenazo III as a coloring reagent to the solution and using a UV-160A spectrophotometer.