Uranyl Ions Uptake from Aqueous Solutions Using Crosslinked Ionic Copolymers Based on 2-Acrylamido-2-Methylpropane Sulfonic Acid Copolymers

Abstract

Uranyl ions sorption capacities of the copolymers composed of acrylic acid (AA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) crosslinked with N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide were investigated. Different compositions of the crosslinked copolymers and crosslinker concentrations were used to study the uranyl ions uptake from aqueous solution. The kinetics of adsorption was studied using Ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectrophotometer. The sorption mechanism of uranyl ion onto the prepared hydrogels was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Thermal stabilities of the ions loaded hydrogels were investigated using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of ions sorption on the morphologies of the prepared hydrogels was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The removal of ions from aqueous solution by adsorption onto hydrogels with various pHs and initial concentrations of uranium (VI) was investigated. The experimental results were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich model isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model.

Keywords:

• adsorption
• copolymer
• hydrogel
• ionic polymers
• uranyl ion uptake