ADSORPTION OF UO2 2+ BY POLYETHYLENE HOLLOW FIBER MEMBRANE WITH AMIDOXIME GROUP

The polyethylene (PE) membrane was prepared by the radiation-induced grafting of acrylonitrile (AN) onto PE hollow fiber and by the subsequent amidoximation of cyano groups in poly-AN graft chains. The adsorption characteristics of the chelating hollow fiber membrane was examined as the solution of UO₂ ²⁺ permeated across the chelating hollow fiber membrane. The inner and outer diameter increased with an increasing grafting yield, whereas, the pure water flux and pore diameter decreased with an increasing grafting yield. The adsorption of UO₂ ²⁺ by the chelating hollow fiber membranes increased with an increasing amidoxime group. The adsorbed amount of UO₂ ²⁺ in the uranyl acetate solution was higher than that in the uranyl nitrate solution. The adsorbed amount of UO₂ ²⁺ is higher than that of Cu²⁺ when the solution of UO₂ ²⁺ and Cu²⁺ permeated across the chelating membrane, respectively. The adsorption characteristics of UO₂ ²⁺ by the amidoxime group-chelating fiber membrane in the presence of Na¹⁺ and Ca²⁺ showed a high selectivity for UO₂ ²⁺ even though there was a high concen-tration of Na¹⁺ and Ca²⁺ in the inlet solution.