Adsorption of Neodymium(III) on Acrylic Resin (110 Resin) from Aqueous Solutions

A feasibility of using 110 resin as an adsorbent for Nd(III) was examined with various chemical methods. Batch studies were carried out to determine the influence of operational conditions, such as initial pH of solution, temperature, contact time, and initial concentrations. The optimal conditions in terms of initial pH and equilibrium time was 6.0 (HAc-NaAc system) and 72 h, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity was estimated to 308 mg/g at 298 K calculating from the Langmuir isotherm. Nd(III) ions could be well eluted by using 3.0 mol/L HCl solution and the absorbent could be regenerated and reused. Thermodynamic and kinetics parameters were studied, from which the adsorption process was spontaneous and the adsorption was endothermic in nature. The Thomas model based on the experimental column study data was used to predict the breakthrough curves and to determine the characteristics parameters of the column useful for process design. Moreover, the adsorption mechanism was proposed by the IR spectroscopic technique.