Adsorption of uranium (VI) onto amidoxime-functionalized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers from aqueous solution

Amidoxime-functionalized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers (UHMWPEF-AO) were used to absorb uranium U(VI) from aqueous solutions. In this paper, we study effects of pH, initial U(VI) concentration, contact time, and temperature on U(VI) adsorption by UHMWPEF-AO. The adsorption process agrees well with pseudo-second-order and Langmuir model. UHMWPEF-AO exhibits excellent adsorptive performance for U(VI) with a maximum adsorption capacity of 176.12 mg/g at pH 4 and 298 K. The structures of UHMWPEF-AO and U(VI)-loaded UHMWPEF-AO are characterized by FT-IR and nano-CT. U(VI)-loaded UHMWPEF-AO is sintered after adsorption process to recycle absorbed U(VI). Powders collected after sintering process are examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. These results indicate that UHMWPEF-AO is a promising candidate to remove U(VI) from uranium aqueous solutions.