Separation of uranyl ion using polyaniline

Polyaniline (Pani) was synthesized by the chemical oxidation of aniline. The use of persulphate instead of dichromate was desired in order to avoid the incorporation of chromium in the polymer matrix. The presence of chromium in the matrix, when dichromate was used as an oxidant, was confirmed by various techniques. The batch mode experiments showed that Pani could be used for separation of different metal ions. These ions were converted into their anionic complexes using suitable complexing agents. It was found that EDTA was used as a suitable reagent for the separation of Cu²⁺ from Zn²⁺ whereas the uranyl ion uptake could be increased to about 95 % when carbonate was used instead of EDTA as complexing agent. A possible application of the above exchange system to preconcentration of uranyl ion from seawater has also been examined.