Fast removal of uranium from aqueous solutions using tetraethylenepentamine modified magnetic chitosan resin

• Tetraethylenepentamine magnetic chitosan resin was prepared.
• Removal of uranium from aqueous solution was studied by batch and column methods.
• The sorption capacity reaches up to 1.8 mmol/g at pH close to 4.
• The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the adsorption process were estimated.
• The resin shows good sorption performance for 3 successive regeneration cycles.

Chitosan was cross-linked using glutaraldehyde in the presence of magnetite. The resin was chemically modified through the reaction with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) to produce amine bearing chitosan. The resin showed a higher affinity towards the uptake of UO22+ ions from aqueous medium: maximum sorption capacity reached 1.8 mmol g−1 at pH 4 and 25 °C. The nature of interaction of UO22+ ions with the resin was identified. Kinetics were carried out at different temperatures and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated. Breakthrough curves for the removal of UO22+ were studied at different flow rates, bed heights and after 3 regeneration cycles. Hydrochloric acid (0.5 M) was used for desorbing UO22+ from loaded resin: desorption yield as high as 98% was obtained.