Spectrophotometric determination of uranium with arsenazo-III in the presence of N-cetyl-N,N,N-tri-methylammonium bromide as surfactant

Elucidating uranium interactions with synthetic Na-P1 zeolite/Ca2+-substituted alginate composite granules through batch and spectroscopic studies: Emphasizing the significance of ion exchange and complexation

Uranium, a key member of the actinides series, is radioactive and may cause severe environmental hazards once discharged into the water due to high toxicity. Removal of uranium via adsorption by applying tailored, functional adsorbents is at the forefront of tackling such pollution. Here, we report the optimized functionalization of the powder coal fly-ash (CFA) derived Na-P1 synthetic zeolite to the form of granules by employing the biodegradable polymer-calcium alginate (CA) and their application to remove aqueous U. The optimized synthesis showed that granules are formed at the CA concentration equals to 0.5 % wt., and that application of 1% wt. solution renders the most effective U scavengers. The maximum U adsorption capacity (qmax) increases significantly after CA modification from 44.48 mgU/g for native, powder Na-P1 zeolite to 62.53 mg U/g and 76.70 mg U/g for 0.5 % wt. and 1 % wt. CA respectively. The U adsorption follows the Radlich-Peterson isotherm model, being the highest at acidic pH (pHeq∼4). The U adsorption kinetics reveals swift U uptake, reaching equilibrium after 2h for 1 % ZACB and 3 h for 0.5 % wt. ZACB following the pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model. SEM-EDXS investigation elucidates that adsorbed U occurs onto materials as an inhomogenous, well-dispersed, and micrometer-scale aggregate. Further, XPS and μ-XRF spectroscopies complementarily confirmed the hexavalent oxidation state of adsorbed U and its altered distribution on ZACBs with varying CA concentrations. U distribution was probed "in-situ" onto materials while correlations between the major elements (Al, Si, Ca, U) contributing to U scavenging were calculated and compared. Finally, a real-life coal mine wastewater (CMW) polluted by 238U and 228,226Ra was successfully purified, satisfying WHO guidelines after treatment using ZACBs. These findings offer new insights on successful yet optimized Na-P1 zeolite modification using biodegradable polymer (Ca2+-exchanged alginate) aimed at efficient U removal, displaying a near-zero environmental impact.

Novel cationic surfactants: synthesis, surface, antimicrobial studies and applicability as an extracting agent for interested element from monazite mineral concentrate

Two novel cationic surfactants based on palmitic acid were prepared to extract uranium from its fluids. The chemical structures of the surfactants prepared were confirmed spectroscopically. The surface activity of these surfactants was evaluated by measuring their surface tension. The cationic surfactants prepared were also tested for their biological activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Subsequently, an attempt was made to use these surfactants to remove uranium from the hydrous oxide cake produced after the alkaline degradation of monazite mineral concentrate. To achieve this goal, several experiments were conducted to determine the optimal conditions for uranium extraction and stripping. Under these optimal conditions, the experimental capacity fitted the pseudo-second order kinetic model. Under the investigated optimal stripping factors of 1 M NaCl, acidified with 0.2 M conc. H2SO4, an A:O ratio of 1:1 and a contact time of 15 min, an uranium stripping efficiency of 83% was obtained for the case study. After the complete stripping process, the marketable uranium concentrate was percipitated using hydrogen peroxide as UO4 H2O with an uranium content of approximately 76%, which was chemically determined and confirmed by EDAX analysis.

An automated system for preconcentration on imprinted polymer and laser diode spectrometric determination of uranium in mineral water samples

A study, where uranium was online enriched and laser diode spectrometry was determined, was performed with some bottled mineral water samples. A uranium-imprinted polymer (PMDU) was synthesized and characterized for preparation of a specific adsorbent of UO₂²⁺ cations. The homemade system preconcentrated uranium in PMDU resin and determined using an Arsenazo III complex at 650 nm in a combined laser diode spectrometer. All analytical parameters of the system were optimized at 5.5 of the retention pH, 6.0 N HClO₄ of eluent concentration, 0.05% of Arsenazo III complex, and a 40 mm coil length. The effect of interferent ions was also investigated and LOD and LOQ values were found to be 0.54 and 1.80 ng mL^-1 respectively. Sample throughput was 12 h^-1, the preconcentration factor was 50, and RSD% value was 1.1. Certified reference materials of TMDA 52.3 and TMDA 62.2 were quantitatively analyzed and the proposed method was successfully applied to the bottled mineral water samples.

Selective colorimetric and fluorescent quenching determination of uranyl ion via its complexation with curcumin

Under pH4.0 HAc-NaAc buffer medium, curcumin alone possesses extraordinary weak fluorescence emission. Nevertheless, the introduction of Triton X-100 micelles can largely enhance the fluorescence intensity of curcumin. Uranyl ions can complex with micelles-capped curcumin, along with the slight red shift of curcumin fluorescence (about 1-7 nm), a clear decrement of absorbance (424 nm) and fluorescence (507 nm) intensities, and a distinct color change from bright yellow to orange. The fluorescence decrements (ΔF, 507 nm) are positively correlated to the amount of uranyl ions in the concentration range of 3.7×10(-6)-1.4×10(-5) mol L(-1). The detection limit of this fluorescence quenching methods is 3.7×10(-6) mol L(-1), which is nearly 9000 times lower than the maximum allowable level in drinking water proposed by World Health Organization. Good selectivity is achieved because of a majority of co-existing substances (such as Ce(4+), La(3+), and Th(4+)) do not affect the detection. The content of uranyl ions in tap water samples was determined by the proposed method with satisfactory results.

Influence of gamma irradiation on uranium determination by Arsenazo III in the presence of Fe(II)/Fe(III)

Arsenazo III is a widely used reagent for the concentration measurement of uranium and other actinides in aqueous samples. This study indicates that, for routine aqueous samples, due to the strong complexing ability with Arsenazo III, Fe(III) can significantly decrease the UV-Vis absorbance of the U(VI)-Arsenazo III complex, whereas the influence of Fe(II) on the absorbance is negligible. However, when Fe(II) is present in a gamma-irradiated U(VI) aqueous sample, it can give rise to the Fenton reaction, which produces oxidizing radicals that decompose the subsequently added Arsenazo III, leading to a sharp decrease in the absorbance of the U(VI)-Arsenazo III complex. The decrease in absorbance depends on the iron content and irradiation dose. Furthermore, the oxidizing radicals from the Fenton reaction induced by gamma irradiation can be continually produced. Even if the irradiated solution has been aged for more than one month in the absence of light at room temperature and without the exclusion of oxygen, the reactivity of the radicals did not decrease toward the subsequently added Arsenazo III. This finding demonstrates that the presence of Fe(II) in gamma-irradiated U(VI) aqueous samples can lead to incorrect U(VI) measurement using the Arsenazo III method, and a new method needs to be developed for the quantitative determination of U(VI) in the presence of gamma radiation and ferrous iron.

Flow injection online spectrophotometric determination of uranium after preconcentration on XAD-4 resin impregnated with nalidixic acid

In this work, spectrophotometer was used as a detector for the determination of uranium from water, biological, and ore samples with a flow injection system coupled with solid phase extraction. In order to promote the online preconcentration of uranium, a minicolumn packed with XAD-4 resin impregnated with nalidixic acid was utilized. The system operation was based on U(VI) ion retention at pH 6 in the minicolumn at flow rate of 15.2 mL min(-1). The uranium complex was removed from the resin by 0.1 mol dm(-3) HCl at flow rate of 3.2 mL min(-1) and was mixed with arsenazo III solution (0.05 % solution in 0.1 mol dm(-3) HCl, 3.2 mL min(-1)) and driven to flow through cell of spectrophotometer where its absorbance was measured at 651 nm. The influence of chemical (pH and HCl (as eluent and reagent medium) concentration) and flow (sample and eluent flow rate and preconcentration time) parameters that could affect the performance of the system as well as the possible interferents was investigated. At the optimum conditions for 60 s preconcentration time (15.2 mL of sample volume), the method presented a detection limit of 1.1 μg L(-1), a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.8 % at 100 μg L(-1), enrichment factor of 30, and a sample throughput of 42 h(-1), whereas for 300 s of the preconcentration time (76 mL of sample volume), a detection limit of 0.22 μg L(-1), a RSD of 1.32 % at 10 μg L(-1), enrichment factor of 150, and a sampling frequency of 11 h(-1) were reported.

2-Hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde-P-hydroxybenzoichydrazone: A New Chromogenic Reagent for the Determination of Thorium(IV) and Uranium(VI)

Simple, sensitive, selective, direct, derivative, and simultaneous spectrophotometric methods are developed for the determination of uranium and thorium individually and simultaneously. The methods are based on the reaction of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde-p-hydroxybenzoichydrazone (HNAHBH) with thorium(IV) and uranium(VI). HNAHBH reacts with thorium and uranium at pH 6.0 forming stable yellow and reddish brown coloured complexes, respectively. [Th(IV)-HNAHBH] complex shows maximum absorbance at 415 nm. Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range 0.464–6.961 μg mL−1with a detection limit of 0.01 μg mL−1and molar absorptivity,ε, 3.5 × 104 L mol−1 cm−1. Maximum absorbance shown by [U(VI)-HNAHBH] complex is at 410 nm with Beer’s law range 0.476–7.140 μg mL−1, detection limit 0.139 μg mL−1and molar absorptivity,ε, 1.78 × 104 L mol−1 cm−1. Highly sensitive and selective second-order derivative methods are reported for the direct and simultaneous determination of Th(IV) and U(VI) using HNAHBH. The applicability of the developed methods is tested by analyzing water, ore, fertilizer, and gas mantle samples for thorium and uranium content.