Adsorption Efficiency of a New Adsorbent Towards Uranium and Vanadium Ions at Low Concentrations

Abstract A new type of fibrous adsorbent with excess amidoxime groups was synthesized by radiation-induced graft polymerization. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was first radiation‐grafted on polyethylene‐coated polypropylene nonwoven fabrics and chemically modified with 3,3′-iminodipropionitrile [NH (–CH2–CH2–CN)2] (IDPN), which was further reacted with hydroxylamine to obtain graft chains containing two amidoxime groups per graft repeating units. The adsorption properties of this new adsorbent for uranium (U), vanadium (V), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and cobalt (Co) ions at low concentrations (3.3–1000 ppb) were investigated by a batch process. The adsorbent showed enhanced adsorption capacity for uranium and vanadium ions. In adsorption studies from a mixture of metal ions in aqueous solutions, the adsorbent showed selectivity for metal ions in the following order: V > U ≫ Cu ≥ Pb ≫ Co. The selectivity of the adsorbent was assessed by determining the distribution coefficient D, of the metal ions studied. The U and V ions were shown to be up to six times more selectively adsorbed onto the new adsorbent than the other metal ions.