A novel extractant-impregnated resin containing carminic acid for selective separation and pre-concentration of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV)

• Published in: International journal of environmental analytical chemistry 2013-01, Vol.93 (1), p.108-124
• Main Authors: Hosseini-Bandegharaei, Ahmad, Hosseini, Mohammad Saeid, Jalalabadi, Yousef, Nedaie, Mehdi, Sarwghadi, Masoud, Taherian, Akram, Hosseini, Esmat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorbents; amberlite XAD-16; carminic acid; extractant-impregnated resin; Ions; Metals; Seawater; Thorium; U(VI) and Th(IV) separation; Uranium
• ISSN: 0306-7319; 1029-0397
• DOI: 10.1080/03067319.2011.620706

The present work proposes the use of a novel extractant-impregnated resin (EIR) as an adsorbent in trace separation and pre-concentration of U(VI) and Th(IV) ions. The new EIR was prepared by impregnating carminic acid onto Amberlite XAD-16 resin beads. The morphology of new EIR was studied by BET surface area measurements and SEM micrographs. A column packed with CA/XAD-16 was used for selective separation and pre-concentration of the metal ions. Maximum adsorption of Th(IV) and U(VI) ions occurred at pHs of 3.50-5.75 and 3.75-6.50, respectively. The adsorbed metals could be eluted sequentially using 0.55 mol L −1 HCl for U(VI) and 2.25 mol L −1 HCl for Th(IV). The dynamic capacity of EIR was found to be 0.832 and 0.814 mmol g −1 for Th(IV) and U(VI), respectively. The tolerance limit of some foreign ions was also studied. The proposed method showed a good performance in analyzing geological reference materials and a synthetic seawater sample. Furthermore, the above procedure was successfully employed for the analysis of natural water samples.