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ABSTRACT: Herein, the sorption properties of Eu(III) on Na-attapulgite were performed by using batch sorption experiments under different
experimental conditions, such as contact time, pH, ionic strength, humic acid and temperatures. The results indicated that
the sorption of Eu(III) on Na-attapulgite was strongly dependent on pH and temperature. At low pH values, the sorption of
Eu(III) was influenced by ionic strength, whereas the sorption was not affected by ionic strength at high pH values. The sorption
of Eu(III) was mainly dominated by ion exchange or outer-sphere surface complexation at low pH values, and by inner-sphere
surface complexation or surface precipitation at high pH values. The sorption of Eu(III) onto Na-attapulgite increased with
increasing temperature. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to simulate the sorption isotherms, and the results
indicated that the Langmuir model simulated the sorption isotherms better than the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters
(∆G
o, ∆S
o, ∆H
o) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms at 293, 313 and 333K, respectively, and the results indicated
that the uptake of Eu(III) on Na-attapulgite was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The results of high Eu(III) sorption
capacity on Na-attapulgite suggest that the attapulgite is a suitable material for the preconcentration and immobilization
of Eu(III) ions from large volumes of aqueous solutions.
KeywordsEu(III)–Sorption–Na-attapulgite–pH–Ionic strength–Thermodynamic data
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 04/2012; 292(2):763-770. · 1.52 Impact Factor
