Separation of europium from aqueous solutions using Al³⁺- and Fe³⁺-doped zirconium and titanium phosphates

Summary

The sorption of europium from aqueous solutions (Eu-concentration: 10 to 250 mg/l) by Fe³⁺- and Al³⁺-doped zirconium- and titanium-phosphates was investigated using a batch technique and ¹⁵²Eu tracer. The initial pH of the solutions was adjusted to 3, 4, 5 and 6. All investigations were performed under constant ionic strength, I=0.15 established by NaCl.<span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Although zirconium phosphates generally showed a higher Eu-uptake capacity than the titanium ones, all investigated materials possessed the ability to remove considerable amounts of europium from aqueous solutions. The Eu-sorption properties of the studied phosphate materials<span style='font-size:12.0pt'>seem to be not especially affected by the type of trivalent cations used for the doping (i.e., Al³⁺or Fe³⁺).