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The extractant-impregnated polymeric beads (EIPBs), containing Di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphonic acid (D2EHPA) as an extractant and polyethersulfone as base polymer, were prepared by phase-inversion method. These beads were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis to gain insight into the composition and morphology of beads. The beads exhibited good acid stability as no significant structural deformation or leaching out of the extractant was observed in 6M HNO 3 solution, up to the studied equilibration time of 15 days. The synthesized EIPBs were evaluated, for their ability to absorb uranium from aqueous solution, at different concentration and pH values. The kinetics measurement showed that about 90 min of equilibration time was enough to remove saturation amount of uranium from the solution. Kinetic modeling analysis of the extraction results was carried out using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion equations and the corresponding rate constants were determined. The equilibrium data were fitted into different isotherm models and were found to be represented well by the Freundlich isotherm equation. Reusability of the beads was also established by multiple sorption-desorption experiments.

The extractant-impregnated polymeric beads (EIPBs), containing polyethersulfone as base polymer and 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (PC-88A) as an extractant, were prepared by phase inversion method. These EIPBs were characterized by FTIR, TGA and SEM techniques. The beads were found to have excellent acid stability, since these did not exhibit any structural deformation or loss of the extractant into aqueous nitric acid solution (6 M), for a period of 15 d. The feasibility of Pu(IV) extraction, using these beads, from nitric acid solution was tested by batch equilibration method. Parametric dependence of Pu(IV) extraction on experimental variables, like strength of nitric acid, equilibration time, Pu(IV) concentration, etc., was investigated. The present study also addressed the important practical issues, like maximum loading capacity and the reusability of these beads. Under optimized conditions, equilibrium capacity and maximum loading capacity for Pu(IV) were found to be 2.03 and 7.50 mg per gram of the swollen beads, respectively. The reusability of the beads was also ascertained by repetitive extraction-stripping of Pu(IV) up to 7 cycles of operation, without significant change in their extraction performance. The extraction of Pu(IV) by the blank polymeric beads was observed to be almost negligible, under the similar experimental conditions.

The removal of Pu(IV) and Am(III) ions from aqueous nitrate solutions was studied using indigenously synthesized Extractant Impregnated Macroporous Polymeric Beads (EIMPBs). These beads exhibited almost quantitative sorption of Pu(IV) at acid strength of [2 M HNO 3 while that of Am(III) at pH 3. Langmuir sorption model was found suitable, with the sorption capacity of EIMPBs for Pu(IV) and Am(III) as 2.13 and 2.64 mg g -1 respectively. Its performance remained unchanged until seven cycles of extraction and stripping using 0.1 M oxalic acid. A flow sheet for Purification of Pu(IV)/Am(III) from its mixture is proposed.