Th(IV) adsorption on alumina: effects of contact time, pH, ionic strength and phosphate

Adsorption of Th(IV) (total concentration, 10(-5)-10(-4) mol/L) was studied by a batch technique. The effects of pH, ionic strength, contact time, and phosphate on the adsorption of Th(IV) onto alumina were investigated. Adsorption isotherms of Th(IV) on alumina at approximately constant pH and three ionic strengths (0.05, 0.1, 0.5 mol/L KNO3) were determined. It was found that the pH values of aqueous solutions of both the Th(IV)-alumina and phosphate-alumina adsorption systems increase with increasing contact time, respectively. Adsorption of Th(IV) on alumina steeply increases with increasing pH from 1 to 4.5 and the adsorption edge consists of three regions. The phosphate added clearly enhances Th(IV) adsorption in the pH range 1-4. From the adsorption isotherms at approximately constant pH and three different ionic strengths, a reduced ionic strength effect was observed and is contradictory to the insensitive effect obtained from the adsorption edges on three oxides of Fe, Al, and Si at different ionic strengths. Compared with the adsorption edges at different ionic strengths, the adsorption isotherms at approximately constant pH and different ionic strengths are more advantageous in the investigation of ionic strength effect. The significantly positive effect of phosphate on Th(IV) adsorption onto alumina was attributed to strong surface binding of phosphate on alumina and the subsequent formation of ternary surface complexes involving Th(IV) and phosphate.     

Sorption of radiocobalt(II) onto MWCNTs: effects of solid content, contact time, pH, ionic strength, humic acid and temperature

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have attracted intense multidisciplinary study because of their special physicochemical properties. In this paper, the effect of solid content, contact time, pH, temperature and humic acid on radionuclide (⁶⁰Co(II)) on MWCNTs was studied by using batch technique. The results indicate that the sorption of Co(II) on MWCNTs can achieve sorption equilibration in short time and the kinetic sorption can be described by pseudo-second-order model well. The sorption of Co(II) on MWCNTs is strongly dependent on pH and independent of ionic strength, suggesting that the sorption of Co(II) on MWCNTs is mainly dominated by inner-sphere surface complexation rather than by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange. The thermodynamic parameters calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms indicate that the sorption of Co(II) on MWCNTs was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The results of high sorption capacity of Co(II) suggest that MWCNTs can be used as efficient materials for the preconcentration of radiocobalt from large volumes of aqueous solutions in radionuclide polluted water.     

Sorption of radiocobalt(II) onto Ca-montmorillonite: effect of contact time, solid content, pH, ionic strength and temperature

In this paper, the sorption of Co(II) from aqueous solution to Ca-montmorillonite was studied under ambient conditions by using batch technique. The effects of contact time, solid content, pH, ionic strength and temperature on the sorption of Co(II) to Ca-montmorillonite was also investigated. The results indicated that the sorption of Co(II) was strongly dependent on pH values. The sorption was dependent on ionic strength at low pH values, but independent of ionic strength at high pH values. Outer-sphere surface complexes were formed on the surface of Ca-montmorillonite at low pH values, whereas inner-sphere surface complexes were formed at high pH values. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) models were used to simulate the sorption isotherms of Co(II) at three different temperatures. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰ and ΔG ⁰) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms, and the results indicated that the sorption reaction of Co(II) to Ca-montmorillonite was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The high sorption capacity of Co(II) on Ca-montmorillonite suggests that the Ca-montmorillonite is a suitable material for the preconcentration and solidification of radiocobalt from aqueous solutions.     

Sorption of Th(IV) ions onto TiO2: Effects of contact time, ionic strength, thorium concentration and phosphate

Summary The sorption of Th(IV) onto TiO₂ was studied by the batch technique as a function of pH and ionic strength at moderate concentration (10^-4-10^-5 mol/l) and in the presence and absence of phosphate. It was found that the sorption rate of Th(IV) was relatively slow, the sorption percent was abruptly increased from pH 2 to 4, and the sorption was decreased with increasing ionic strength as a whole. In the concentration range of Th(IV) from trace concentration to 1.4 ^. 10^-4 mol/l and in the absence of phosphate, the sorption isotherms were roughly fitted the Freundlich equation at different ionic strengths and approximately constant pH. These sorption characteristics of Th(IV) onto TiO₂ were compared with those of uranyl on the same sorbent. In addition, the positive effect of phosphate on the sorption of Th(IV) onto TiO₂ was demonstrated obviously and can be attributed to strong surface binding of phosphate, and the subsequent formation of ternary surface complexes of Th(IV). The difference between the sorption characteristics of Th(IV) ions and uranyl ions onto TiO₂ is discussed.     

Sorption of Th(IV) on goethite: effects of pH,ionic strength,FA and phosphate

Sorption of thorium (IV) on goethite was investigated as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, anions, solid-to-liquid ratio (m/V) and Th(IV) concentration using batch technique. The results showed that the sorption of Th(IV) was strong pH-dependence, and increased from ~10 to ~100% over the pH range of 2.0–4.0, and then kept a constant level in the higher pH range. The sorption of Th(IV) increased with increasing m/V and independent of ionic strength. It was clear that phosphate and FA significantly enhanced Th(IV) sorption on goethite. The sorption and desorption isotherms were investigated at pH 2.90 ± 0.05 and analyzed with Freundlich and Langmuir models, respectively. Compared to Langmuir model, Freundlich model could fit the experimental data better, according to the high relative coefficients.     

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.     

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.     

Removal of radiocobalt from aqueous solutions by kaolinite affected by solid content, pH, ionic strength, contact time and temperature

The kaolinite sample was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray powder diffraction, and was applied as adsorbent for the removal of radiocobalt ions from radioactive wastewater. The results demonstrated that the sorption of Co(II) was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength at low pH values, and independent of pH and ionic strength at high pH values. The sorption of Co(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange at low pH values, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH values. The sorption isotherms were well described by Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich models. The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ΔG°, ΔS°, ΔH°) calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption of Co(II) on kaolinite was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The results of high sorption capacity of kaolinite suggested that the kaolinite sample was a suitable material for the preconcentration of Co(II) from large volumes of aqueous solutions and as backfill materials in nuclear waste management.     

Influence of pH,ionic strength,foreign ions and FA on adsorption of radiocobalt on goethite

This work contributed to the adsorption of radiocobalt on goethite as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength and foreign ions in the absence and presence of fulvic acid (FA) under ambient conditions. The results indicated that adsorption of Co(II) was dependent on ionic strength and foreign ions at low pH values (pH < 7.8), and independent of ionic strength and foreign ions at high pH values (pH > 7.8). Outer-sphere surface complexation and/or ion exchange were the main mechanisms of Co(II) adsorption on goethite at low pH values, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main adsorption mechanism at high pH values. The presence of FA enhanced Co(II) adsorption at low pH values, but reduced Co(II) adsorption at high pH values. The thermodynamic data (ΔH ⁰, ΔS ⁰, ΔG ⁰) were calculated from the temperature dependent adsorption isotherms, and the results suggested that adsorption process of Co(II) on goethite was spontaneous and endothermic. The results are crucial to understand the physicochemical behavior of Co(II) in the nature environment.     

The sorption of Eu(III) on calcareous soil: effects of pH,ionic strength,temperature, foreign ions and humic acid

The sorption of Eu(III) on calcareous soil as a function of pH, humic acid (HA), temperature and foreign ions was investigated under ambient conditions. Eu(III) sorption on soil was strongly pH dependent in the observed pH range. The effect of ionic strength was significant at pH < 7, and not obvious at pH > 8. The type of salt cation used had no visible influence on Eu(III) uptake on soil, however at low pH values, the influence of anions was following the order: Cl⁻ ≈ NO₃ ⁻ > ClO₄ ⁻. In the presence of HA, the sorption edge obviously shifted about two pH units to the lower pH, whilst in range of pH 6–7, the sorption of Eu(III) decreased with increasing pH because a considerable amount of Eu(III) was present as humate complexes in aqueous phase, then increased again at pH > 11. The results indicated that the sorption of Eu(III) on soil mainly formed outer-sphere complexes and/or ion exchange below pH ~7; whereas inner-sphere complexes and precipitation of Eu(OH)₃(s) may play main role above pH ~8.     

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.     

Effect of pH, ionic strength and temperature on sorption characteristics of Th(IV) on oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were characterized by SEM and FTIR. The sorption of Th(IV) on MWCNTs was studied as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, Th(IV) concentration and temperature. The results indicate that the sorption of Th(IV) on MWCNTs is strongly dependent on pH and weakly dependent on ionic strength. The sorption thermodynamics of Th(IV) on MWCNTs was carried out at 293.15, 313.15 and 333.15 K, respectively, and the thermodynamic parameters (standard free energy changes (??G ⁰), standard enthalpy change (??H ⁰) and standard entropy change (??S ⁰)) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms. The sorption of Th(IV) on MWCNTs is a spontaneous and endothermic process. The oxidized MWCNTs may be a promising candidate for the preconcentration and solidification of Th(IV), or its analogue actinides from large volumes of aqueous solutions.     

An investigation of Re(VII) and Se(IV) adsorption by Tamusu clay: effect of time,pH, ionic strength,temperature and organic acids

By the batch method, the effects of contact time, pH, ionic strength, initial concentration, temperature on the sorption of Re(VII) and Se(IV) were investigated. Our results illustrated that Re(VII) and Se(IV) sorption was well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, as well as by Freundlich model. This suggests chemical reaction as a rate-controlling step on the surface with 0.51 and 2.24 mg/g maximum sorption capacity at pH 7.0. The pH has little effect on Re(VII) adsorption, While it significantly affects the Se(IV) sorption. The sorption capacity of Re(VII) and Se(IV) decreased with increasing NaCl concentration. And the adsorption processes of Re(VII) and Se(IV) were endothermic spontaneous processes. What’s more, our results also show that the sorption of Re(VII) and Se(IV) in clay rock will not interfere with each other under various conditions. Additionally, the adsorption capacity of Se(IV) in clay is significantly increased under acidic conditions when organic acids in the solution, but not influenced under neutral and alkaline conditions.

     

Sorption of uranyl ions on silica: Effects of contact time, pH, ionic strength, concentration and phosphate

The sorption of UO₂ ²⁺ and phosphate on silica were simultaneously studied. The effect of contact time between the solid phase and aqueous solution, pH and ionic strength on the UO₂ ²⁺ sorption in the absence and the presence of phosphate was investigated. The effect of contact time between the solid phase and aqueous solution, pH and ionic strength on the phosphate sorption was investigated too. The isotherms of UO₂ ²⁺ and phosphate sorption at different pH values were determined. It was found that as compared with the sorption in the absence of phosphate, the sorption of UO₂ ²⁺ on silica in the presence of phosphate is increased at low pH and decreased at high pH; the abruptly increased with increasing pH in the pH range 3-6; the sorption is gradually decreased with increasing pH in the pH range 2-12; the sorption insensitive and the sorption of phosphate is sensitive to ionic strength.     

Adsorption of paraquat on mesoporous silica modified with titania: effects of pH, ionic strength and temperature

The adsorption of the herbicide paraquat (PQ(2+)) on the binary system titania-silica has been studied in batch experiments by performing adsorption isotherms under different conditions of pH, supporting electrolyte concentration, and temperature. Adsorption kinetic on the studied material has also been carried out and discussed. PQ(2+) adsorption is very low on the bare silica surface but important on the composed TiO(2)-SiO(2) adsorbent. In this last case, the adsorption increases by increasing pH and decreasing electrolyte concentration. There are no significant effects of temperature on the adsorption. The increase of the adsorption in TiO(2)-SiO(2) seems to be related to an increase in acid sites of the supported titania and to the homogenously dispersion of the TiO(2) nanoparticles over the silica support. The adsorption takes place by direct binding of PQ(2+) to TiO(2) leading to the formation of surface species of the type SiO(2)-TiO(2)-PQ(2+). Electrostatic interactions and charge-transfer and outer-sphere complexes formations seem to play a key role in the adsorption mechanism. The analysis of thermodynamic parameters suggests that the adsorption on TiO(2)-SiO(2) is endothermic and spontaneous in nature.     

Sorption of Th(IV) from aqueous solution to GMZ bentonite: effect of pH, ionic strength, fulvic acid and electrolyte ions

Bentonite has been studied extensively because of its strong sorption and complexation ability. In this study, GMZ bentonite (China) was studied as a potential sorbent for the removal of Th(IV) from aqueous solutions. The results indicate that the sorption of Th(IV) is strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength at pH <5, and is independent of ionic strength at pH >5. Outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange in inter-layer sites of the montmorillonite fraction of the GMZ bentonite may be the main sorption mechanism of Th(IV) onto 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. The presence of soil fulvic acid has a positive influence on the sorption of Th(IV) on GMZ bentonite at pH <5. The competition between Th(IV) with aqueous or surface adsorbed cation ions (e.g., herein Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺) and surface functional groups of GMZ bentonite is important for Th(IV) sorption on GMZ bentonite. The results of high sorption of Th(IV) suggest that the GMZ bentonite is a suitable backfill material in nuclear waste management.     

Adsorption of La(III) onto GMZ bentonite: effect of contact time,bentonite content,pH value and ionic strength

Bentonite has been studied extensively because of its strong adsorption capacity. A local Na-bentonite named GMZ bentonite, collected from Gaomiaozi County (Inner Mongolia, China), was selected as the first choice of buffer/backfill material for the high-level radioactive waste repository in China. In this research, the adsorption of La (ΙΙΙ) onto GMZ bentonite was performed as a function of contact time, pH, solid content and metal ion concentrations by using the batch experiments. The results indicate that the adsorption of La (III) on GMZ bentonite achieves equilibration quickly and the kinetic adsorption follows the pseudo-second-order model; the adsorption of La (III) on the adsorbent is strongly dependent on pH and solid content, the adsorption process follows Langmuir isotherm. The equilibrium batch experiment data demonstrate that GMZ bentonite is effective adsorbent for the removal of La (III) from aqueous solution with the maximum adsorption capacity of 26.8 mg g⁻¹ under the given experimental conditions.     

Benzalkonium chloride and sulfamethoxazole adsorption onto natural clinoptilolite: effect of time, ionic strength, pH and temperature

The influence of different physical factors on the adsorption of the cationic surfactant benzalkonium chloride (BC) and the model drug sulfamethoxazole by a purified natural clinoptilolite (NZ) has been studied in order to employ zeolite-surfactant-drug composites as drug deliverer. It has been demonstrated that the adsorption of BC and sulfamethoxazole onto NZ depends of the time, the temperature, the ionic strength and the pH of the aqueous medium. The optimal conditions for the preparation of the zeolite-surfactant and zeolite-surfactant-drug composite materials are established. The results of the composite characterization support the presence of BC and sulfamethoxazole, as well as the structural stability of NZ during the treatments performed. The release experiments in acid medium demonstrate that the adsorption of sulfamethoxazole is reversible. It is also confirmed that the drug release profile corresponds to a diffusion or zero-order mechanism as a function of the compression pressure.