Journal
ARABIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
Volume 9, Issue -, Pages S795-S805Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2011.08.010
Keywords
Extraction; Thorium; Uranium; Rare earth elements; Aspergillus ficuum; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Bioproducts
Categories
Funding
- Zagazig University
- Nuclear Materials Authority, Cairo, Egypt
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The activity of the bioproducts from Aspergillus ficuum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa for extraction of thorium (Th4+), uranium (UO22+) and rare earth elements (REEs) from thoriumuranium concentrate was studied. P. aeruginosa produce element- specific ligand (siderophore) that is able to change pH and enhance chelation of Th4+ and UO22+. The produced siderophore at pH 5.3 has the ability to bioleach and is complexed with 68.00% of uranium and 65.00% of thorium. Also, A. ficuum produced different kinds of organic acids which leached 30.00% of uranium and 29.12% of thorium in addition to 20.00% of lanthanum, 33.00% of cerium and 2.51% of yttrium as rare earth elements at pH 3.0. Oxalic acid was efficient for Th4+, UO22+ and REEs precipitation. The binocular stereo-microscope (BSM), environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed the percentages of extracted metals. Exogenous poly-saccharides (EPSs) seem to play an important role in bioleaching and removal of these elements. It was found that EPSs produced by A. ficuum adsorbed Th4+, UO22+ and REEs while that produced by P. aeruginosa adsorbed REEs only. (C) 2011 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.
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