PREPARATION OF AMIDOXIME FIBERS FOR RECOVERY OF URANIUM FROM SEAWATER

Commercial acrylonitrile fibers of 1.2, 1.5, 3, 8 and 15 denier were separately treated in a 0.38 mol/l NH2OH methanolic solution of 80-degrees-C and then in a 0.1 mol/l NaOH aqueous solution at 30-degrees-C. The treatments were carried out by changing reaction periods to find the optimum conditions. The intrinsic adsorption rate of uranium from seawater with the amidoxime fibers was inversely proportional to fiber diameter, and the capacity was in the range of 120-350 mg per kg of dry fiber per day. The effective diffusivity of uranium in 1.5-denier amidoxime fiber immersed in seawater was 5 X 10(-8) cm2/s. The strength of the fibers was not reduced by the NH2OH and NaOH treatment.