Adsorption of Strontium from Acidic Solutions Using an Inorganic Exchanger – Uranium Antimonate

The applicability of uranium antimonate (USb) for the efficient removal of strontium from aqueous acidic solutions by adsorption has been investigated. The adsorption data analysis was carried out using the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms for the uptake of Sr in the initial concentrations range 1.14 × 10–4 to 1.14 × 10–2 mol L–1 on USb from nitric acid medium. The adsorption process is heterogeneous in nature as evident from the fractional value (0.48) of Beta. The sorption capacity ʹb’ was found to be 18.81 mg g–1 from 0.5 mol L–1 nitric acid medium. Equilibrium adsorption values at different temperatures have been utilized to evaluate the change in enthalpy, entropy and free energy. The adsorption of strontium on USb was found to be endothermic.