Sorption of alkali cations at the zirconium oxide/aqueous electrolyte interface

Inorganic sorbents generally withstand both higher temperatures and higher radiation doses than organic ion exchangers. They are, therefore, attractive alternatives for many applications in the field of nuclear technology. Among these are the removal of corrosion products from nuclear reactor coolant water. Sorption of the ions, Li+, Na+ and K+ on hydrous zirconia has been studied at 298 K and in the concentration and pH ranges 0.1-1.0 mol dm-3 and 4.0-10.0, respectively. It has been found that sorption sequence of the studied ions depends on both ion concentration and the pH value of the solution. The intrinsic ionization and complexation constants of the above ions with surface sites of hydrous zirconia are reported. The point of zero charge of hydrous zirconia has been determined as pHsub(pzc) = 4.0. (Auth.)