Research PaperA new method for preconcentration of Th(IV) and Ce(III) by thermophilic Anoxybacillus flavithermus immobilized on Amberlite XAD-16 resin as a novel biosorbent

A novel approach has been improved for the preconcentration of Th(IV) and Ce(III) by using thermophilic Anoxybacillus flavithermus which were immobilized on Amberlite XAD-16 resin and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The concentration of Th(IV) and Ce(III), the eluent type and volume, the pH of model solutions, influences of matrix interference parameters, and flow rate were analyzed and optimized extraction conditions were determined. The optimum pH for quantitative sorption of Th(IV) and Ce(III) was found as 7.0 and elution of Th(IV) and Ce(III) from minicolumns was studied with 1.0 mol L−1, 5 mL HNO3 with recoveries from 100%. The precision of this method was validated by comparing the analytical recovery and certified reference materials (IAEA Soil-7). Finally, this enrichment method was used to determine Th(IV) and Ce(III) in bastnaesite ore sample.