Feasibility of the recovery of uranium from alkaline waste by amidoximated grafted polypropylene polymer matrix

Abstract

The amidoximated grafted polypropylene polymer matrix was prepared by post irradiation grafting of acrylonitrile (AN) onto thermally bonded non-woven matrix of poly(propylene) sheet using electron beams. This precursor polymer was reacted with hydroxylamine to convert AN to poly(acrylamidoxime) (AO) groups, and conditioned by treating them with 2.5 % KOH at 80 °C for 1 h. The polymer matrix was having the degree of AN grafting ~106 wt% and its subsequent conversion to AO groups ~70 %. The water uptake capacity of AO polymer matrix were found to be 100 ± 5 % (w/w). Quantitative recovery of uranium from alkaline waste (ammonium diuranate supernatant) solution was achieved by this polymer matrix. The other radionuclides present in the waste solution were not extracted by the polymer matrix. For all other radionuclides, the uptake was found to be <6 %.