Removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions by manganese oxide coated zeolite: discussion of adsorption isotherms and pH effect

This paper discusses the adsorption properties for uranium(VI) by manganese oxide coated zeolite (MOCZ). The removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution by adsorption onto MOCZ in a single-component system with various contact times, pH, competitive ions, temperatures and initial concentrations of uranium(VI) was investigated. The experimental results were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich and the three-parameter Redlich–Peterson model isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model. Both the Langmuir and Redlich–Peterson isotherms were found to best represent the measured adsorption data. According to the evaluation using the Langmuir equation, the maximum adsorption capacity of uranium(VI) ions onto MOCZ was 15.1 mg g−1 at 293 K and pH 4.0. Using the thermodynamic equilibrium constants obtained at different temperatures, various thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔG0, ΔH0 and ΔS0, have been calculated. The thermodynamics of uranium(VI) ion/MOCZ system indicates the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the process. It was noted that an increase in temperature resulted in a higher uranium loading per unit weight of the adsorbent.