Effect of short chain aliphatic carboxylic acids for sorption of uranyl on rutile Zeta potential and in situ ATR-FTIR studies

•Binary (rutile–uranyl) system gives only positive zeta potential at lower rutile conc (2 g/L).•Carboxylic acids have greater affinity to uranyl ions in aqueous media than rutile.•Carboxylic acids significantly desorb uranyl from rutile surface.•Short chain acids have negligible interaction with rutile.

Migration of radionuclides in aqueous system is a matter of great environmental concern due to their acute and long-term toxicity. This study seeks to address the sorption of uranyl on rutile in presence of short-chain aliphatic carboxylic acids by zeta potential analysis and in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy. Point of zero charge of rutile was significantly shifted with the addition of carboxylic acids/uranyl ions separately in solution but it was negligible when organics and uranyl ions were added in the suspension. In situ ATR-IR data for uranyl sorption was evidenced by an absorption band of uranyl as(UO2) at 915 cm−1.

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