Removal of cerium ions from aqueous solution by hydrous ferric oxide - A radiotracer study

Radiotracer technique has been used to study the removal behavior of Ce (III) ions from aqueous solutions by synthesized and well characterized hydrous ferric oxide (HFO). Adsorptive concentration (10−4-10−8 mol dm−3), pH (ca 4.0-10.0) and temperature (303-333 K) were examined for assessing optimal conditions for removal of these ions. The uptake of Ce (III) ions, which fitted well for Freundlich and D-R isotherms, increased with increase in the temperature and no significant desorption took place in the studied temperature range. The presence of some anions/cations affected the uptake of metal ion markedly. Irradiation of hydrous ferric oxide and tungsten oxide by using a 11.1 × 109 Bq (Ra-Be) neutron source having a neutron flux of 3.9 × 106 cm−2 s−1 with associated γ-dose rate of 1.72 Gy/h did not influence the extent of adsorption of Ce (III) significantly.