Uranium extraction using hydroxyapatite recovered from phosphorus containing wastewater

Lingjun Kong; Yang Ruan; Qingying Zheng; Minhua Su; Zenghui Diao; Diyun Chen; Li'an Hou; Xiangyang Chang; Kaimin Shih

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120784

Uranium extraction using hydroxyapatite recovered from phosphorus containing wastewater

J Hazard Mater. 2020 Jan 15:382:120784. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120784. Epub 2019 Jun 16.

Authors

Lingjun Kong¹, Yang Ruan², Qingying Zheng², Minhua Su², Zenghui Diao³, Diyun Chen⁴, Li'an Hou², Xiangyang Chang⁵, Kaimin Shih⁶

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, Rural Non-point Source Pollution Comprehensive Management Technology Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, PR China.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, Rural Non-point Source Pollution Comprehensive Management Technology Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
³ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, Rural Non-point Source Pollution Comprehensive Management Technology Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: cdy@gzhu.edu.cn.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, Rural Non-point Source Pollution Comprehensive Management Technology Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: changxy@gzhu.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, PR China. Electronic address: kshih@hku.hk.

PMID: 31446349
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120784

Abstract

A considerable amount of uranium (U(VI))-containing industrial wastewater is generated from both uranium mining and processing, and nuclear electrical power generation. Discharge of U(VI) containing wastewater causes severe damage to the environment and leads to a loss of resources. Uranium sorption on hydroxyapatite (HAP) has been studied extensively to address the abovementioned issues. In the present study, BC-HAP was recovered through phosphate sorption from wastewater, which was first reused as a potential sorbent for extracting uranium from aqueous solutions comparing to commercially available nano-HAP. The sorption behavior of uranium and its transformation on the recovered BC-HAP were investigated by conducting batch experiments as well as Fourier-transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analyses. BC-HAP had superior sorption ability for uranium extraction. Autunite precipitant at nano-scale is observed after uranium sorption. Partial desorption of uranium was observed in the presence of Na₂CO₃ and NaHCO₃. Surface complexation and phosphate dissolution precipitation contributed to the favorable uranium sorption. Thus, recovered BC-HAP can be widely used as a promising and cost-effective adsorbent to extract uranium from aqueous solution.

Keywords: Autunite; Hydroxyapatite; Phosphate; Sorption; Uranium.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't