Experimental Study on Uranium sorption onto Silica Colloids

In this study, sorption experiments of uranium onto silica colloids were carried out and the effects of important geochemical parameters such as pH, ionic strength, carbonate concentration, colloid concentration, and total concentration of uranium were investigated. The sorption coefficients of uranium for silica colloids named as pseudo-colloid formation constants were about 10~ 10 mL/g depending on the experimental conditions. The effects of the geochemical parameters were found to be important in the sorption of uranium onto silica colloids. A Langmuir type sorption isotherm of uranium between silica colloids and the solution phase was also presented. The sorption mechanisms were explained by analyzing the effects of the geochemical parameters.