The uptake of uranium and europium on the polyacrylamide/titanium dioxide composites

With the high-speed development of nuclear energy, radioactive contamination has attracted worldwide attention. In this study, the polyacrylamide/titanium dioxide composites (PAM/TiO2) were prepared for the simultaneous elimination of U(VI) and Eu(III). The results confirmed that the capture of radionuclides on PAM/TiO2 increased with the increase of temperature, suggesting an endothermic process. The maximum adsorption capacities of PAM/TiO2 were 146.5 mg/g for U(VI) and 38.8 mg/g for Eu(III), respectively. In the removal process, the adsorption of radionuclides only took place at the surface of PAM/TiO2 and did not destroy its phase structure. Especially, the existence of U(VI) could reduce the capture of Eu(III) on the composites and vice versa. According to the XPS analysis results, the main interaction mechanisms between the PAM/TiO2 composites and radionuclides were electrostatic attraction together with the amide groups. The findings presented herein can provide important information for the simultaneous elimination of radionuclides in environmental pollution control.