Sorption of uranyl ions on hydrous oxides

Sorption of uranyl ions on hydrous titanium oxide (HTiO), magnetite (MAG), and hydrous thorium oxide (HThO) has been studied as a function of pH. Hydrous oxides have been characterized by their pH-titration curves, intrinsic dissociation constants (pKai*) and point of zero charge (pHpzc). The fraction of protonated surface hydroxyl groups as well as the surface pH (pHsurf) as a function of solution pH have been computed. The distribution of various hydrolyzed species of uranyl ions with solution pH have been compared with uranyl sorption isotherm on these oxides. Sorption edge in all the cases occurs when free hydroxyl groups are available on the surface and pHsurf is sufficiently high to favor the formation of dimer-like species on the surface. A new model for the sorption process, called surface hydrolysis model, which explains these and other features of uranyl sorption on hydrous oxides has been proposed. The model visualizes the sorption process as linking of uranyl ions with two adjacent free surface hydroxyl groups without deprotonation (provided the surface pH is high for the hydrolysis of uranyl ions) and formation of dimer-like structures on the surface. The new model has been successfully applied to the present and other available data on uranyl ion sorption on hydrous oxides. (author)