Layered Metal Sulfides Capture Uranium from Seawater

Abstract

Uranium is the main source for nuclear energy but also one of the most toxic heavy metals. The current methods for uranium removal from water present limitations, such as narrow pH operating range, limited tolerance to high salt concentrations, or/and high cost. We show here that a layered sulfide ion exchanger K(2)MnSn(2)S(6) (KMS-1) overcomes these limitations and is exceptionally capable in selectively and rapidly sequestering high (ppm) as well as trace (ppb) quantities of UO(2)(2+) under a variety of conditions, including seawater. KMS-1 can efficiently absorb the naturally occurring U traces in seawater samples. The results presented here reveal the exceptional potential of sulfide-based ion-exchangers for remediating of uranium-containing wastes and groundwater and for extracting uranium from the sea.

Synthesis of polyamidoxime-functionalized nanoparticles for uranium(VI) removal from neutral aqueous solutions

“…7a, trace a), a strong peak occurred at 906 cm -1 (Fig. 7a, [20], suggesting the sorption of uranium(VI) onto the nanoparticles. The existence of uranium element in EDX spectra (Fig.…”

“…Langmuir Freundlich Activated carbon 4.2 9 10 -4 3.0 28.30 [47] Zirconyl-molybdopyrophosphate-tributyl phosphate 1.26 9 10 -3 6.0 196.08 [11] AmidoximatedPolyacrylonitrile-Encapsulated Macroporous Beads 4.2 9 10 -4 6.0 1.98 [34] phosphine oxide functionalized mesoporoussilicas RLW 6.0 105 [28] Porous MOFs 5.2 9 10 -4 2.5 217 [26] Chitosan/PVA hydrogel 5.05 9 10 -4 5.0 156 [48] AO/amine fibers 4.2 9 10 -6 6.0 1.79 [5] Layered Metal Sulfides 1.68 9 10 -3 3.5 382 [20] poly(acrylic acid)-functionalized microspheres 2.5 9 10 -3 4.5 990 [32] Natural clinoptilolite-rich zeolite 4.2 9 10 -7 2.0 2.67 [49] Calcined and acid-activated kaolin 3.36 9 10 -4 5.0 4.52 [50] Lewatit TP260 3.0 9 10 -3 4.1 63.37 [51] Tulsion CH-96 2. finally the nanoparticles were used to adsorb uranium(VI) again. This process was repeated five times.…”

“…In the past decades, many methods have been developed for uranium(VI) removal from aqueous solutions [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] ,such as ionic exchange, chemical precipitation [12,13], membrane dialysis [14], flotation [15,16], bio-concentration [17], liquid-liquid extractions [18,19], solid-liquid separation [5,20,21]. At present, solid-liquid separation is recognized as the widest application prospect because it can work more efficiently and it is environment-friendly.…”

Surface functionalization graphene oxide by polydopamine for high affinity of radionuclides

“…A lot of uranium and its isotopes were released to the environment from nuclear manufacturing and processing, which posed a great threat to our living conditions due to their toxicity and radioactivity. To prevent radionuclide migration, various methods have been proposed to capture or concentrate these radionuclides, including adsorption [4][5][6][7], ion exchange [1,[8][9][10], filtration [11,12], etc. Among these techniques, adsorption has been considered as one of the most promising methods due to its versatility, simplicity, low-cost and high efficiency [13,14].…”

The “periodic table” of benzotriazoles: Uranium(VI) complexes

“…S4-S7) show the existence of a strong band at 944 (1), 948 (2), 950 (3) and 934 (4 · diMebtaH · MeCN) cm −1 (not present in the spectra of the free ligands) assigned to the IRactive antisymmetric vibration of the {O_U_O} 2+ group (v 3 ) [25], which is red-shifted compared to the corresponding band for the aquo uranyl complexes (~965 cm −1 ); this vibration does not appear in the Raman spectra of 1-3, consistent with a centrosymmetric uranyl group in these complexes. The Raman-active uranyl symmetric stretch (v 1 ) is observed at 855-865 cm −1 in the Raman spectra (Fig.…”