A novel silica-based anion exchange resin used for removing uranium from drinking water

A novel silica-based anion exchange resin (SAER) was prepared to treat the uranium-contaminated water. SAER was characterized by SEM, TG, FT-IR and BET. Batch experiments were conducted to investigate its potential in removing uranium. Experimental results suggested that SAER could efficiently eliminate uranium in water solution with pH ranging from 5 to 9, and showed an amazing exchange speed and large working capacity. However, SO4 (2-), Ca2+ and Mg2+ showed some effects on the adsorption of uranium. It was observed that uranyl carbonate complexes could promote Ca2+ and Mg2+ to be adsorbed onto SAER. According to the batch results, Feasible adsorption mechanism to uranium was proposed. At last, tap water containing uranium was mixed with SAER to test its performance. Results showed that uranium was removed successfully with equilibrium pH below 7 but near neutral.