Novel functionalized mesopore of SBA-15 as prospective sorbent for praseodymium and lutetium.

In the present work, results of γ-irradiation on normal and functionalized SBA-15 by aurintricarboxylic acid have been reported. Characterization of normal and functionalized SBA-15 particles before and after γ-irradiation was carried out using Fourier-transform infrared technique. Aurintricarboxylic acid ligand connected to SBA-15 was also analyzed using UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The modified sorbent was then used as a new sorbent for separation of trace amounts of praseodymium and lutetium ions from nuclear waste waters in batch techniques. Based on the results of distribution coefficients determination, and investigation of sorption process in various conditions, the parameters were optimized for separation lanthanides. It can be concluded that the functionalized SBA-15 is a promising sorbent for praseodymium and lutetium cations.