Characterization and application of radiation grafted membranes in waste treatment

Ionic membranes were prepared by radiation-induced grafting of acrylic acid onto low density polyethylene films. To elucidate the possibility of practical use, a study has been made for the characterization of the grafted and chemically treated membranes. The selectivity of such prepared membranes towards the chelation or complexation of different alkali metals was investigated, to find that the higher affinity is observed for K+, Na+ and Li+ ions compared to other alkali metals used. The metal uptake percent was deter mined using different techniques: flame photometer and X-ray fluorescence. The uptake of metal from its feed solution by the grafted membrane increased as the degree of grafting increased, i.e., it is directly proportional to the content of functional carboxylic acid groups in the graft copolymer. As a consequence, the electrical conductivity of metal feed solution decreased during such process of metal chelation by the membrane. The higher the grafting degree of membrane, the lower the electrical conductivity of metal feed solutions observed. The changes in thermal properties of the prepared membranes were investigated and characterized using differential scanning calorimeter and thermal gravimetric analysis. The thermal stability of these membranes increased with a degree of grafting due to the formation of crosslinked network structure via hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, such stability is enhanced for the alkali-treated membranes even at high elevated temperatures. The prepared membranes showed a great promise for possible use in the recovery of uranium from zirconium in their wastes. (author)