Tasoula Kiliari

Selective separation of actinyl(V,VI) cations from aqueous solutions by Chelex-100

Abstract Experimental studies on the selectivity of Chelex-100 resin for the separation of actinide cations at different oxidation states (III, IV, V and VI) from aqueous solution have shown that Chelex-100 presents increased selectivity for actinyl cations at near neutral pH (pH ∼ 4.5). The effect of salinity on the chemical recovery indicates that the increased selectivity could be attributed to the formation of complexes with specific interactions and the pH area, in which the formation of the respective complexes is favored, indicates the occurrence of guest-host interactions. The specific interaction of Chelex-100 with actinyl cations could be of particular interest not only for the separation and preconcentration of uranium from natural waters prior its analysis but also for the recovery of uranium from seawater on a large scale.

Seasonal variation, chemical behavior and kinetics of uranium in an unconfined groundwater system

The seasonal changes in the concentration of uranium in an unconfined groundwater system in Cyprus have been investigated and compared to corresponding changes of boron and salinity, to better understand the chemical behavior of uranium in the respective system. Uranium concentration measurements were performed by alpha spectroscopy after selective pre-concentration, whereas boron concentration analysis and electrical conductivity measurements were carried out by photometry using azomethine-H and an electrical conductivity electrode, respectively. The experimental data show that seasonal variations are mainly related to rainwater infiltration and the specific chemical behavior of a species. Increased levels of uranium and boron in natural water systems are attributed to the increased stability of the uranium(VI)-carbonato complexes and the boric acid, which are in natural waters the predominant chemical species for uranium and boron, respectively. Dilution/dissolution processes govern the seasonal concentration changes of uranium and boron in a groundwater system, however redox-reactions resulting in the reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) affect significantly the concentration of uranium in the respective system, particularly under suboxic conditions.

Americium and samarium determination in aqueous solutions after separation by cation-exchange

The concentration of trivalent americium and samarium in aqueous samples has been determined by means of alpha-radiometry and UV–Vis photometry, respectively, after chemical separation and pre-concentration of the elements by cation-exchange using Chelex-100 resin. Method calibration was performed using americium (241Am) and samarium standard solutions and resulted in a high chemical recovery for cation-exchange. Regarding, the effect of physicochemical parameters (e.g. pH, salinity, competitive cations and colloidal species) on the separation recovery of the trivalent elements from aqueous solutions by cation-exchange has also been investigated. The investigation was performed to evaluate the applicability of cation-exchange as separation and pre-concentration method prior to the quantitative analysis of trivalent f-elements in water samples, and has shown that the method could be successfully applied to waters with relatively low dissolved solid content.