Studies on BenzoDODA encapsulated polymeric beads for separation of plutonium from acidic solution

• BenzoDODA encapsulated polymeric beads (BEPBs) were synthesized and evaluated for sorption of Pu(IV) from acidic solution.
• Fast sorption kinetics for ‘Pu’.
• Very high sorption and selectivity for ‘Pu’ over other radionuclides.
• Ease of back extraction of ‘Pu’ form loaded resin.
• Ease of recyclability and fair stability in HNO3 medium.

BenzoDODA encapsulated polymeric beads were synthesized by phase inversion technique and evaluated for the separation of plutonium from nitric acid medium. The beads were characterized by FT-IR, TGA and SEM techniques to gain insight into their structure and morphology. Kinetics studies showed that the sorption of plutonium was fast and, equilibrium was achieved within 60 min of equilibration. Sorption isotherm studies have indicated that uptake increases with the increase of metal ion concentration, the sorption data fitted well to Langmuir model. Back extraction was effectively carried out using 0.3 M Hydrazine + 0.5 M HNO3. Reusability of the beads was established by multiple sorption–desorption experiments. The beads were found to be quite stable as no significant structural deformation or leaching out of the extractant was observed in 4.0 M HNO3 solution, up to studied equilibration time of 8 days.

Uptake of metal ions from 3.0 M HNO3 medium using BenzoDODA encapsulated beads (weight of bead – 0.051 g, time of equilibration – 2 h).Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide