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.