Investigation of the effect of pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, temperature, soil humic substances on the sorption of 152+154Eu(III) onto NKF-6 zeolite

The sorption of 152+154 Eu(III) on NKF-6 zeolite is investigated by batch technique under ambient conditions. The results indicate that the sorption of Eu(III) is affected by ionic strength at pH 8.0. The sorption is dominated by ion exchange or outer-sphere surface complexation at low pH and by inner-sphere surface complexation at high pH. The thermodynamic parameters suggest that the sorption is an endothermic and spontaneous process. The results show that the NKF-6 zeolite is a suitable adsorbent for the preconcentration of Eu(III) from large volumes of nature aqueous solutions.