Radio-iodide uptake by modified poly (glycidyl methacrylate) as anion exchange resin

Abstract

Abstract Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) microspheres were prepared by radiation induced polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) monomer. The factors affecting the degree of polymerization and yield (%) of PGMA such as type of solvent, monomer concentration, and irradiation dose were investigated. It was found that the PGMA yield (%) increases with increasing monomer concentration up to 50% and absorbed dose of 5 kGy. The resulting PGMA containing the epoxy group waschemically modified by hydroxyl amine to act as anion-exchange resin for uptake of 131I− ions. The modified PGMA (MPGMA) was characterized by Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectrophotometer, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). I-131 is produced from the fission of U-235 with low-enrichment uranium (LEU) targets in the Egyptian Second Research Reactor (ETRR-2). Separation of iodide from the radioactive solution by batchwise and column techniques was employed to determine the adsorption capacity of the MPGMA. Quality control of 131I product solution and radiochemical purity was examined by using the ascending paper chromatography method. The uptake behavior of MPGMA towards 131I− ions were studied at different experimental conditions and achieved by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The synthesized MPGMA showed good results as anion-exchange and an effective adsorbent for uptaking 131I− ions.