Separations (Oct 2022)

Appreciatively Efficient Sorption Achievement to U(VI) from the El Sela Area by ZrO<sub>2</sub>/Chitosan

  • Sameh H. Negm,
  • Mahmoud O. Abd El-Magied,
  • Wael M. El Maadawy,
  • Mostafa M. Abdel Aal,
  • Samia M. Abd El Dayem,
  • Mahmoud A. Taher,
  • Khaled A. Abd El-Rahem,
  • Mohamed N. Rashed,
  • Mohamed F. Cheira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/separations9100311
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 10
p. 311

Abstract

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The need to get uranium out of leaching liquid is pushing scientists to come up with new sorbents. This study uses the wet technique to improve the U(VI) sorption properties of ZrO2/chitosan composite sorbent. To validate the synthesis of ZrO2/CS composite with Zirconyl-OH, -NH, and -NH2 for U(VI) binding, XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, and BET are used to describe the ZrO2/chitosan wholly formed. To get El Sela leaching liquid, it used 150 g/L H2SO4, 1:4 S:L ratio, 200 rpm agitation speed, four hours of leaching period, and particle size 149–100 µm. In a batch study, the sorption parameters are evaluated at pH 3.5, 50 min of sorbing time, 50 mL of leaching liquid (200 mg/L U(VI)), and 25 °C. The sorption capability is 175 mg/g. Reusing ZrO2/CS for seven cycles with a slight drop in performance is highly efficient, with U(VI) desorption using 0.8 M acid and 75 min of desorption time. The selective U(VI) recovery from El Sela leachate was made possible using ZrO2/CS. Sodium diuranate was precipitated and yielded a yellow cake with a purity level of 94.88%.

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