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International Journal of Environment Science and Technology
Center for Environment and Energy Research and Studies (CEERS)
ISSN: 1735-1472 EISSN: 1735-1472
Vol. 12, No. 6, 2015, pp. 1899-1906
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Bioline Code: st15177
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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International Journal of Environment Science and Technology, Vol. 12, No. 6, 2015, pp. 1899-1906
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Synthesis and characterization of silica microsphere and their application in removal of uranium and thorium from water
Basu, H.; Singhal, R. K.; Pimple, M. V. & Reddy, A. V. R.
Abstract
Uranium (U) and thorium (Th) are known to
cause acute toxicological effects in human, and their
compounds are potential occupational carcinogens. During
this work, silica microspheres were used to decontaminate
the traces of U and Th in different water sources originated
from groundwater and lake water. Ultra-filtration technique
was used to isolate the microsphere from the water samples.
Silica microspheres were synthesized based on a
polyvinylpyrrolidone involved emulsion polymerization
and subsequent sol–gel process. The microspheres were
characterized for their size by using dynamic light scattering,
and presence of silicate structure is verified by
recording their attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform
infrared spectrum. The surface morphologies of the
prepared silica microspheres were studied by using scanning
electron microscope. Water samples collected from
the groundwater and lake water were spiked with U and Th
in the concentration range of 100–1,000 ng mL-1. The
results of batch sorption experiments suggest that silica
microsphere is very effective at pH 3, and sorption is more
than 99.9 %. Equilibrium sorption follows Langmuir isotherms
and the maximum U, and Th uptake is 30 and
36 mg g-1, respectively. Major physicochemical characteristics
of the water were monitored before and after the
decontamination process. Experimental results show no
significant variations in any of the measured parameters.
Keywords
Silica microsphere; Groundwater; Lake water; Uranium; Thorium; Decontamination
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