Uranium removal performance of MST- chitosan beads

Uranium (U) arises in ground water due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Considering the toxicological impact of U, Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Department of Atomic Energy (AERB-DAE) recommends a limit of 60 ppb. Therefore, a pressing need exists for remediation methods to render the water free of the U. A variety of methods have been discussed for the same in the literature including biological methods such as the use of water hyacinths, ion exchange based processes and adsorption on minerals such as clinoptilite, ferrihydrite etc. All these processes, while effective, suffer from drawbacks such as low throughput, high cost or limited loading capacity. In view of this, a composite that presents the properties of MST in a column usable form, will be extremely advantageous. This paper discusses the synthesis and characterization of MST Chitosan composite for U-removal