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.     

Sorption of uranium(VI) on Na-attapulgite as a function of contact time,solid content,pH, ionic strength,temperature and humic acid

Sorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution to Na-attapulgite was investigated at different experimental chemistry conditions by using batch technique. The attapulgite sample was characterized by FTIR and XRD. Sorption of U(VI) on attapulgite was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. The sorption of U(VI) on attapulgite increased quickly with rising pH at pH < 6, and decreased with increasing pH at pH > 7. The presence of humic acid (HA) enhanced the sorption of U(VI) on attapulgite obviously at low pH because of the strong complexation of surface adsorbed HA with U(VI) on attapulgite surface. Sorption of U(VI) on attapulgite was mainly dominated by ion exchange and/or outer-sphere surface complexation at low pH values, whereas the sorption was attributed to the inner-sphere surface complexation or precipitation at high pH values. The sorption increased with increasing temperature and the thermodynamic parameters calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms suggested that the sorption of U(VI) on attapulgite was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The results indicate that attapulgite is a very suitable material for the preconcentration of U(VI) ions from large volumes of aqueous solutions.     

Influence of contact time, pH, soil humic/fulvic acids, ionic strength and temperature on sorption of U(VI) onto MX-80 bentonite

The sorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution on MX-80 bentonite was studied as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, solid contents, humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA) and temperature under ambient conditions using batch technique. The results indicate that sorption of U(VI) on MX-80 bentonite is strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. The removal of U(VI) to MX-80 bentonite is rather quick and the kinetic sorption data is simulated well by a pseudo-second-order rate equation. The presence of HA enhances the sorption of U(VI) on MX-80 bentonite obviously, but the influence of FA on U(VI) sorption is not obvious. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰, and ΔG ⁰) for the sorption of U(VI) calculated from temperature dependent sorption suggest that the sorption reaction is endothermic and spontaneous.     

Adsorption of U(VI) on montmorillonite pillared with hydroxy-aluminum

Hydroxy-aluminum pillared Na-montmorillonite(OH–Al-MT) was prepared for studying sorption of U(VI) in the existence of soluble calcium (Ca²⁺), carbonate ion (CO₃^2?) and humic acid. Various characterizations confirm that hydroxy-aluminum was successfully pillared into Na-montmorillonite (Na-MT). The effects of pH, concentration of Ca²⁺ and CO₃^2? as well as HA on the sorption capacity of Na-MT and OH–Al-MT for U(VI) has been investigated by batch experiments. Additionally, the kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics of adsorption of U(VI) were discussed in detailed. The study indicates that OH–Al-MT can be a potentially promising low-cost adsorbent for removal of U(VI) in wastewaters.     

Simultaneous removal of uranium and humic acid by cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide nanosheets

Cyclodextrin-modified graphene oxide nanosheets (denoted as CD/GO) were synthesized by an in-situ polymerization method and characterized by as well as Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and potentiometric acid-base titration. The characterization results indicated that CD was successfully grafted onto GO surfaces by forming a chemical bond. Mutual effects on the simultaneous removal of hexavalent uranium and humic acid by CD/GO from aqueous solution were investigated. The results indicated that U(VI) and humic acid (HA) sorption on CD/GO were greatly affected by pH and ionic strength. The presence of HA enhanced U(VI) sorption at low pH and reduced U(VI) sorption at high pH, whereas the presence of U(VI) enhanced HA sorption. The surface adsorbed HA acted as a “bridge” between U(VI) and CD/GO, and formed strong inner-sphere surface complexes with U(VI). Sorption isotherms of U(VI) or HA on CD/GO could be well fitted by the Langmuir model. This work highlights that CD/GO can be used as a promising material in the enrichment of U(VI) and HA from wastewater in U(VI) and humic substances obtained by environmental pollution cleanup.     

Sorption of U(VI) onto a decarbonated calcareous soil

Sorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution to decarbonated calcareous soil (DCS) was studied under ambient conditions using batch technique. Soil samples were characterized by XRD, FT-IR and SEM in detail and the effects of pH, solid-to-liquid ratio (m/V), temperature, contact time, fulvic acid (FA), CO₂ and carbonates on U(VI) sorption to calcareous soil were also studied in detail using batch technique. The results from experimental techniques showed that sorption of U(VI) on DCS was significantly influenced by pH values of the aqueous phase, indicating a formation of inner-sphere complexes at solid–liquid interface, and increased with increasing temperature, suggesting the sorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. Compared to Freundlich model, sorption of U(VI) to DCS was simulated better with Langmuir model. The sorption equilibrium could be quickly achieved within 5 h, and sorption results fitted pseudo-second-order model well. The presence of FA in sorption system enhanced U(VI) sorption at low pH and reduced U(VI) sorption at high pH values. In absence of FA, the sorption of U(VI) onto DCS was an irreversible process, while the presence of FA reinforced the U(VI) desorption process reversible. The presence of CO₂ decreased U(VI) sorption largely at pH >8, which might due to a weakly adsorbable formation of Ca₂UO₂(CO₃)₃ complex in aqueous phase.     

U(VI) sorption on kaolinite: effects of pH,U(VI) concentration and oxyanions

U(VI) sorption on kaolinite was studied as functions of contact time, pH, U(VI) concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio (m/V) by using a batch experimental method. The effects of sulfate and phosphate on U(VI) sorption were also investigated. It was found that the sorption kinetics of U(VI) can be described by a pseudo-second-order model. Potentiometric titrations at variable ionic strengths indicated that the titration curves of kaolinite were not sensitive to ionic strength, and that the pH of the zero net proton charge (pH_PZNPC) was at 6.9. The sorption of U(VI) on kaolinite increased with pH up to 6.5 and reached a plateau at pH >6.5. The presence of phosphate strongly increased U(VI) sorption especially at pH <5.5, which may be due to formation of ternary surface complexes involving phosphate. In contrast, the presence of sulfate did not cause any apparent effect on U(VI) sorption. A double layer model was used to interpret both results of potentiometric titrations and U(VI) sorption on kaolinite.     

Sorption properties of oxides IX: Effect of anions on the sorption of uranium (VI) on hydrous oxides

Effect of anions such as nitrate, chloride, sulphate and carbonate on the sorption of U(VI), from aqueous solutions on hydrous oxides of Ti(IV), Ce(IV) Zr(IV) and Th(IV) has been studied. The sorption of U(VI) is markedly reduced in the presence of anions, like carbonate, whichform strong complexes with UO ₂ ^{2 +} in solution. The results are explained in terms of a competition for free UO ₂ ^{2 +} between surface hydroxyl groups and ligands (anions) present in solution. The sorption of U(VI) on these hydrous oxides was also studied from a bicarbonatecarbonate mixture. Sorption was less under conditions when tricarbonate complex of U(VI) was formed, but increased at higher pH values (>9), presumably due to the formation and sorption of hydroxo complexes of U(VI).     

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.     

Sorption behavior of Co(II) on γ-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> in the presence of humic acid

The fate and transport of toxic metal ions and radionuclides in the environment is generally controlled by sorption reactions. The extent of sorption of divalent metal cations is controlled by a number of factors including cosorbing or complexing. In this work, the effects of pH, humic acid HA/Co(II) addition orders, ionic strength, concentration of HA, and foreign cations on the Co(II) sorption on γ-Al₂O₃ in the presence of HA were investigated. The sorption isotherms of Co(II) on γ-Al₂O₃ in the absence and presence HA were also studied and described by using S-type sorption model. The experimental results showed that the Co(II) sorption is strongly dependent on the pH values, concentration of HA, but independent of HA/Co(II) addition orders, ionic strength, and foreign cations in the presence of HA under our experimental conditions. The results also indicated that HA enhanced the Co(II) sorption at low pH, but reduced the Co(II) sorption at high pH. It was hypothesized that the significantly positive influence of HA at low pH on the Co(II) sorption on γ-Al₂O₃ was attributed to strong surface binding of HA on γ-Al₂O₃ and subsequently the formation of ternary surface complexes such as ≡S-OOC-R-(COO⁻) _x Co^2−x . Chemi-complexation may be the main mechanism of the Co(II) sorption on γ-Al₂O₃ in the presence of HA.     

Effect of various environmental factors on the adsorption of U(VI) onto biochar derived from rice straw

Herein, we used biochar pyrolyzed from rice straw to adsorb uranium (U) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption of U(VI) on biochar was strongly dependent on pH but independent on ionic strength. HA/FA enhanced the sorption at pH <6.8 while inhibited the sorption at pH >6.8. The sorption reached equilibrium within 3 h, which was not mediated by pH. The adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic, and enhanced at higher temperature. However, the influence of temperature was negligible at low initial U(VI) concentrations. Therefore, biochar derived from rice straw may be a promising adsorbent for the removal of U(VI).

     

Effect of pH,ionic strength and humic substances on the adsorption of Uranium (VI) onto Na-rectorite

In this study, the adsorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution on Na-rectorite was studied as a function of various environmental conditions such as contact time, pH, ionic strength, soil humic acid (HA)/fulvic acid (FA), solid contents, and temperature under ambient conditions by using batch technique. The kinetic adsorption is fitted by the pseudo-second-order model very well. The adsorption of U(VI) on Na-rectorite was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. A positive effect of HA/FA on U(VI) adsorption was found at low pH, whereas a negative effect was observed at high pH. The presence of HA/FA enhanced the U(VI) adsorption at low pH values, but reduced U(VI) adsorption at high pH. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰, and ΔG ⁰) were also calculated from the temperature dependent adsorption isotherms, and the results suggested that the adsorption of U(VI) on Na-rectorite was a spontaneous and endothermic process.     

A high efficient sorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution using amino-functionalized SBA-15

Uranium is one of the most hazardous heavy metal due to its long half-life radioactivity, high toxicity and mobility as aqueous uranyl ion (UO₂ ²⁺) under ordinary environmental conditions. Herein, amino functionalized SBA-15 (APSS) was developed as a rapid and efficient sorbent for removal of U(VI) from the environment. The APSS sample was synthesized by grafting method and was characterized by SEM, NMR, SAXS, and N₂ sorption/desorption isothermal experiments. The sorption of U(VI) by APSS was investigated under different conditions of pH, contact time, initial U(VI) concentration, ionic strength and solid–liquid ratio. The results show that the sorption of U(VI) by APSS is strongly dependent on pH but independent of ionic strength and solid–liquid ratios (m/V). The sorption is ultrafast with an equilibrium time of less than 30 min, and the sorption capacity is as large as 409 mg/g at pH 5.3 ± 0.1. Besides, the U(VI) sorption by APSS from extremely diluted solution and the desorption of U(VI) from APSS were also studied. It is found that 100 mg of APSS can almost completely remove the U(VI) ions from 4 L aqueous solution with the U(VI) concentration as low as 4.2 ppb and the sorbed U(VI) can be completely desorbed by 0.1 mol/L nitric acid. The results strongly reveal the high performance of the APSS material in the removal and preconcentration of U(VI) from the aqueous solution.     

Influence of pH,humic acid,ionic strength,foreign ions,and temperature on <Superscript>60</Superscript>Co(II) sorption onto γ-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on γ-Al₂O₃ was conducted under various conditions, i.e., contact time, adsorbent content, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, humic acid (HA), and temperature. Results of sorption data analysis indicated that the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on γ-Al₂O₃ was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. At low pH the sorption was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. The presence of different cation ions influenced ⁶⁰Co(II) sorption, while the presence of different anion ions had no obvious influences on ⁶⁰Co(II) sorption. The presence of HA decreased the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on γ-Al₂O₃. The sorption isotherms were simulated well with the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH ⁰ , ΔS ⁰ and ΔG ⁰ ) calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on γ-Al₂O₃ was an endothermic and spontaneous process. Experimental results indicated that the low cost material was a suitable material in the preconcentration of ⁶⁰Co(II) from large volumes of aqueous solutions.     

Impact of environmental conditions on the sorption behavior of radionuclide <Superscript>60</Superscript>Co(II) on MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The fate and transport of toxic metal ions and radionuclides in the environment is generally controlled by sorption reactions. The removal of ⁶⁰Co(II) from wastewaters by MnO₂ was studied as a function of various environmental parameters such as shaking time, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, and humic substances under ambient conditions. The results indicated that the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on MnO₂ was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. At low pH, the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation and ion exchange with Na⁺/H⁺ on MnO₂ surfaces, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. The presence of HA/FA enhances ⁶⁰Co(II) sorption at low pH values, whereas reduces ⁶⁰Co(II) sorption at high pH values. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to simulate the sorption isotherms of ⁶⁰Co(II) at three different temperatures of 298.15, 318.15 and 338.15 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 MnO₂ was endothermic and spontaneous.     

Interaction mechanisms of U(VI) and graphene oxide from the perspective of particle size distribution

Graphene oxide (GO) is an ideal adsorbent due to excellent physicochemical properties. Humic acid (HA) is ubiquitous in aquatic and soil environment, which can affect the migration of metal ions. In this study, we investigated the sorption mechanisms of U(VI) onto GO surfaces in the presence of HA. pH dependent and ionic strength independent sorption process were observed and the concentration of HA is positively proportional to U(VI) sorption capacities. Results also suggest that a pre-mixing HA + U(VI) gave better results than a pre-mixing of GO + HA, which can be explained by the size distribution of different GO systems.

     

Highly efficient sorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution using amino/amine-functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanospheres

The amino/amine-functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSN-DETA) exhibited relatively high sorption capacity (q_m?=?153.68 mg/g) as well as excellent selectivity for U(VI). The U4f_7/2 X-ray photoelectron spectrometry revealed two binding energies at 380.8?±?0.3 eV (with the proportion of 75.2%) and 382.3?±?0.3 eV, which indicated the inner-surface complexation mechanism. The sorption isotherms fitted well with the Langmuir model, whereas the sorption kinetics could be fitted by pseudo-second-order model. The U(VI)-loaded MSN-DETA could be efficiently regenerated by acidified EDTA (0.4 M). These findings indicated that MSN-DETA could be used as a potential material for the efficient sorption/separation of U(VI) from wastewater.

     

Sorption study of uranium from aqueous solution on ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3

The ability of ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3 has been explored for the removal and recovery of uraium from aqueous solutions. The textural properties of CMK-3 were characterized using small-angle X-ray diffraction and N₂ adsorption–desorption, and the BET specific surface area, pore volume and the pore size were 1143.7 m²/g, 1.10 cm³/g and 3.4 nm. The influences of different experimental parameters such as solution pH, initial concentration, contact time, ionic strength and temperature on adsorption were investigated. The CMK-3 showed the highest uranium sorption capacity at initial pH of 6.0 and contact time of 35 min. Adsorption kinetics was better described by the pseudo-second-order model and adsorption process could be well defined by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters, ?G°(298 K), ?H° and ?S° were determined to be ?7.7, 21.5 k J mol^?1 and 98.2 J mol^?1 K^?1, respectively, which demonstrated the sorption process of CMK-3 towards U(VI) was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The adsorbed CMK-3 could be effectively regenerated by 0.05 mol/L HCl solution for the removal and recovery of U(VI). Complete removal (99.9 %) of U(VI) from 1.0 L industry wastewater containing 15.0 mg U(VI) ions was possible with 2.0 g CMK-3.     

Sorption of radiocobalt on acid-activated sepiolite: effects of pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, humic acid and temperature

The acid-activated sepiolite (ASEP) was prepared by physical purification and acid activation of natural sepiolite, and was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM and N₂ adsorption–desorption. The prepared ASEP was applied for the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) from aqueous solutions. The sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) from aqueous solutions by ASEP was investigated as a function of contact time, solid content, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, humic acid (HA) and temperature. The results indicated that the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on ASEP was strongly dependent on pH values. At low pH, the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation or surface precipitation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. The presence of HA increased the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on ASEP at low pH values, and reduced the sorption at high pH values. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to simulate the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) at three temperatures of 298, 318 and 338 K. The thermodynamic parameters ( $ \Updelta G^\circ ,\,\;\Updelta S^\circ $ and $ \Updelta H^\circ $ ) calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption of ⁶⁰Co(II) on ASEP was an endothermic and spontaneous process. ASEP has a great application potential for cost-effective disposal of ⁶⁰Co(II) from large volumes of aqueous solutions.