Solvent extraction, separation and recovery of thorium from Korean monazite leach liquors for nuclear industry applications

Evaluation of cyanex272 in the emulsion liquid membrane system for separation of thorium

This study describes the use of the emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) technique to recover thorium (Th(IV)) from an aqueous nitrate solution. The components of the ELM were kerosene as a diluent, sorbitan monooleate (span 80) as a surfactant, bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinic acid (Cyanex 272) as an extractant, and H2SO4 solution as a stripping reagent. Th(IV) was more successfully extracted and separated under the following favorable conditions: Cyanex272 concentration of 0.11 mol/L; 0.65 mol/L H2SO4 as a stripping phase (internal phase); feed phase (external phase) pH of 1; internal-to-membrane phase volume ratio of 1; emulsion-to-external phase volume ratio of 0.4; contact time of 25 min; and agitation speed of 300 rpm. Under these conditions, the membrane transferred Th(IV) selectively from the real leach liquor without appreciable emulsion breakage or swelling.

Humic acid attachment on chitosan-modified silica gel as an economical, efficient, and selective adsorbent for thorium and uranium removal

A novel, low-cost adsorbent material was prepared by the immobilization of humic acid on a silica gel surface coated with cross-linked chitosan (SiChiHA). The adsorbent was developed to remove selectively of Th(IV) and U(VI) from aqueous solution, including their pre-concentration and separation from lanthanides and high salinity conditions. A simple waste-less humic acid immobilization method was shown to be successful based on FT-IR, SEM-EDS, and zeta potential characterization results. The adsorbent was found to be stable over a wide pH range, with the highest capacities obtained at pH 3.5 (Th(IV)) and pH 5 (U(VI)). Langmuir model calculations yielded a maximum capacity of 30.6 mg g^-1 and 75.4 mg g^-1 for Th(IV) and U(VI). The adsorption process was found to be rapid (half concentration was removed within 10 min) and best described by a pseudo-second order rate equation. Increasing NaCl concentration up to 2 mol L^-1 or lanthanide concentration up to 100 times did not significantly affect the removal efficiency for either Th(IV) of U(VI). Both elements could be sequentially separated by elution with ammonium citrate and nitric acid, respectively. The adsorption-desorption experiment showed that the adsorbent could be used for at least five cycles without significant capacity loss. This study provides insight into the development of low-cost adsorbent with practical functionality, including separation and regeneration ability, the advantageous properties scarcely reported in low-cost adsorbent literature.