Sorption of uranium and thorium from sulphuric acid using TVEX-PHOR resin

Summary Solid-liquid extraction has been used to study the uptake of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) from sulphuric acid using a TVEX-PHOR resin. The experimental results were found to fit the BET isotherm and show a higher affinity of the TVEX-PHOR resin towards the extraction of uranium than thorium under similar experimental conditions. The best separation of uranium from thorium is obtained from 3M sulphuric acid at V/m ratio of 20 ml/g. Elution of loaded uranium and thorium was carried out with 1M sodium carbonate and 0.075M sulphuric acid, respectively. After the elution of both elements, the regenerated resin could be reused with high efficiency.