Anion Exchange Resin Modified with Nanoparticles of Hydrated Zirconium Dioxide for Sorption of Soluble U(VI) Compounds

Abstract

Besides military industry, uranium is also applied to civilian needs. Uranium compounds are employed in geology (to determine age of rocks), as a pigment for paints, in analytical chemistry, and for other purposes [1]. However, produced uranium is mainly consumed by nuclear power plants. Therefore, mining and processing of uranium ores are important practical tasks. Efficient, accessible, and cheap methods for the removal of U(VI) compounds from liquid wastes could provide ecological hygiene in uranium extraction from mineral raw materials. Moreover, the technique has to cover uranium recuperation in order to prevent appearance of toxic ions in sources of water supply. Adsorption and ion exchange present a possibility to decrease the content of U(VI) compounds down to maximum allowable concentration [2]. The following characteristics for materials are required: significant capacity and selectivity toward uranium-containing ions, high sorption rate, and facile regeneration. Currently, attention is focused on change of chemical composition of organic (particularly biopolymers) or inorganic sorbents.