Potentiality of uranium adsorption from wet phosphoric acid using amine-impregnated cellulose

• Published in: Journal of radiation research and applied sciences Vol. 9; no. 2; pp. 193 - 206
• Main Authors: Orabi, Ahmed H., El-Sheikh, Enass M., Saleh, Wafaa H., Youssef, Ahmed O., El-Kady, Mohammed Y., Shalaby, Zeinab M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.04.2016; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amine-impregnated cellulose; Phosphoric acid; Separation; Uranium; Phosphoric acid; Amine-impregnated cellulose; Uranium; Separation
• ISSN: 1687-8507; 1687-8507
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrras.2015.12.003

The prepared amine-impregnated cellulose (AIC) was found to be an efficient adsorbent for uranium originated from El-Sebaiya phosphate ore. The impregenation process was carried out by copolymerization between pretreated cellulose and a mixture of (tri-ethyl amine and epi-chorohydrine). In the present work, two working solutions were used. The first solution was a synthesized phosphoric acid (35% P2O5 and 100 ppm U) used for optimizing the loading process of uranium. The second one was used as a case study for adsorption of uranium from a real phosphoric acid (WPPA) prepared from El-Sebaiya phosphate ore (P2O5 35%, 100 ppm U). The obtained equilibrium data were found to be satisfactory fitted with Langmuir isotherm. A maximum-metal uptake of 56.5 mgU/g AIC was observed at the obtained optimum conditions. Also, elution process of uranium has been achieved at 1 M of 30 ml Na2CO3 solution/g AIC after 15 min contact time. From the latter, a marketable product of sodium di-uranate was prepared.