Evaluating Ion Exchange Resin Efficiency and Oxidative Capacity for the Separation of Uranium(IV) and Uranium(VI)

Overview

Journal Geochem Trans

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Chemistry

Date 2013 Feb 1

PMID 23363052

Citations 2

Authors

Deborah L Stoliker

Nazila Kaviani

Douglas B Kent

James A Davis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Unlabelled:

Background: Previously described methods to separate dissolved U(IV) from dissolved U(VI) under acidic anoxic conditions prior to laboratory analysis were ineffective with materials currently available commercially. Three strong anion exchange resins were examined for their efficiency in separating, recovering, and preserving both redox states during separation.

Results: Under oxic conditions, recovery of U(VI) from three exchange resins (Bio-Rad AG® 1x8 Poly-Prep® prefilled columns, Bio-Rad AG® 1x8 powder, and Dowex® 1x8 powder) ranged from 72% to 100% depending on the dosed mass, eluent volume, and resin selected. Dowex® 1x8 resin was the only resin found to provide 100% recovery of U(VI) with fewer than 5 bed volumes of eluent. Under anoxic conditions, all three resins oxidized U(IV) in aqueous solutions with relatively low U(IV) concentrations (<3x10-6 M). Resin-induced oxidation was observed visually using a leuco dye, safranin-o. Oxidants associated with the resin were irreversibly reduced by the addition of Ti(III). After anoxic resin pre-treatment, a series of U(IV)/U(VI) mixtures at micro-molar levels were prepared and separated using the Dowex® 1x8 resin with 100% recovery of both U(IV) and U(VI) with no resin-induced changes in oxidation state.

Conclusions: Currently available anion exchange resins with apparently identical physical properties were found to have significantly different recoveries for hexavalent uranium at micro-molar concentrations. A novel qualitative technique was developed to visually assess oxidative capacities of anion exchange resins under acidic anoxic conditions. A protocol was developed for pre-treatment and use of currently available anion exchange resins to achieve quantitative separation of U(IV) and U(VI) in aqueous solutions with low U(IV) concentrations. This method can be applied to future work to quantitatively assess dissolved U(IV) and U(VI) concentrations in both laboratory and field samples.

Citing Articles

A study on the preparation and application of a core-shell surface imprinted uranyl magnetic chelating adsorbent.

Li G, Xu M, Li J, Yang Y RSC Adv. 2022; 8(65):37401-37409.

PMID: 35557815 PMC: 9089315. DOI: 10.1039/c8ra06992a.

Biological Reduction of a U(V)-Organic Ligand Complex.

Molinas M, Faizova R, Brown A, Galanzew J, Schacherl B, Bartova B Environ Sci Technol. 2021; 55(8):4753-4761.

PMID: 33705103 PMC: 8154365. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c06633.

References

Ayotte J, Baris D, Cantor K, Colt J, Robinson Jr G, Lubin J . Bladder cancer mortality and private well use in New England: an ecological study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006; 60(2):168-72. PMC: 2566149. DOI: 10.1136/jech.2005.038620. View

OLoughlin E, Kelly S, Cook R, Csencsits R, Kemner K . Reduction of uranium(VI) by mixed iron(II)/iron(III) hydroxide (green rust): formation of UO2 nanoparticles. Environ Sci Technol. 2003; 37(4):721-7. DOI: 10.1021/es0208409. View

Gu B, Ku Y, Jardine P . Sorption and binary exchange of nitrate, sulfate, and uranium on an anion-exchange resin. Environ Sci Technol. 2004; 38(11):3184-8. DOI: 10.1021/es034902m. View

Ginder-Vogel M, Stewart B, Fendorf S . Kinetic and mechanistic constraints on the oxidation of biogenic uraninite by ferrihydrite. Environ Sci Technol. 2009; 44(1):163-9. DOI: 10.1021/es902452u. View

Stucker V, Ranville J, Newman M, Peacock A, Cho J, Hatfield K . Evaluation and application of anion exchange resins to measure groundwater uranium flux at a former uranium mill site. Water Res. 2011; 45(16):4866-76. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2011.06.030. View

Alessi D, Uster B, Veeramani H, Suvorova E, Lezama-Pacheco J, Stubbs J . Quantitative separation of monomeric U(IV) from UO2 in products of U(VI) reduction. Environ Sci Technol. 2012; 46(11):6150-7. PMC: 3371135. DOI: 10.1021/es204123z. View

Yabusaki S, Fang Y, Long P, Resch C, Peacock A, Komlos J . Uranium removal from groundwater via in situ biostimulation: Field-scale modeling of transport and biological processes. J Contam Hydrol. 2007; 93(1-4):216-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2007.02.005. View

Gu B, Ku Y, Brown G . Sorption and desorption of perchlorate and U(VI) by strong-base anion-exchange resins. Environ Sci Technol. 2005; 39(3):901-7. DOI: 10.1021/es049121f. View

Anderson R, Vrionis H, Ortiz-Bernad I, Resch C, Long P, Dayvault R . Stimulating the in situ activity of Geobacter species to remove uranium from the groundwater of a uranium-contaminated aquifer. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003; 69(10):5884-91. PMC: 201226. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.10.5884-5891.2003. View

10.

Bernier-Latmani R, Veeramani H, Dalla Vecchia E, Junier P, Lezama-Pacheco J, Suvorova E . Non-uraninite products of microbial U(VI) reduction. Environ Sci Technol. 2010; 44(24):9456-62. DOI: 10.1021/es101675a. View

11.

Jeon B, Dempsey B, Burgos W, Barnett M, Roden E . Chemical reduction of U(VI) by Fe(II) at the solid-water interface using natural and synthetic Fe(III) oxides. Environ Sci Technol. 2005; 39(15):5642-9. DOI: 10.1021/es0487527. View

12.

Boyanov M, Fletcher K, Kwon M, Rui X, OLoughlin E, Loffler F . Solution and microbial controls on the formation of reduced U(IV) species. Environ Sci Technol. 2011; 45(19):8336-44. DOI: 10.1021/es2014049. View

13.

Phillips D, Gu B, Watson D, Parmele C . Uranium removal from contaminated groundwater by synthetic resins. Water Res. 2007; 42(1-2):260-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2007.07.010. View

14.

Fletcher K, Boyanov M, Thomas S, Wu Q, Kemner K, Loffler F . U(VI) reduction to mononuclear U(IV) by Desulfitobacterium species. Environ Sci Technol. 2010; 44(12):4705-9. DOI: 10.1021/es903636c. View

15.

Wu W, Carley J, Luo J, Ginder-Vogel M, Cardenas E, Leigh M . In situ bioreduction of uranium (VI) to submicromolar levels and reoxidation by dissolved oxygen. Environ Sci Technol. 2007; 41(16):5716-23. DOI: 10.1021/es062657b. View