ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Sorption and possible preconcentration of europium and gadolinium ions from aqueous solutions by Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles

Moubarak A. Sayed, A. I. Helal, S. M. Abdelwahab, H. H. Mahmoud, and H. F. Aly

Nuclear Research Centre, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt

E-mail: mom467@usask.ca

Abstract: Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method. The prepared samples had been characterized to find the compositional, structural, and functional properties, by means of EDX, XRD, and FTIR, respectively. The prepared manganese oxide nanoparticles (Mn₃O₄ NPs) have average crystallite size of 30–35 nm. The effect of different parameters on the uptake of Eu(III) and Gd(III) by Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles such as pH, initial metal concentration, shaking time, and temperature was examined. The shaking time for both adsorption and desorption was found to be 5 h. The sorption capacities at equilibrium with regards to Eu(III) and Gd(III) were 26.8 and 12.6 mg/g, respectively. Kinetically, the sorption of both elements fitted well to pseudo-second-order model. Sorption equilibrium isotherm obeys more favorably the Langmuir isotherm model. Desorption process of Eu(III) and Gd(III) from Mn₃O₄ NPs was highly managed using 2.0 M HNO₃. A preconcentration factor of 70 and 20 was obtained for Gd and Eu, respectively, using 0.1 g of the Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles.

Keywords: Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles ; Co-precipitation ; Crystallite size ; Gadolinium ; Europium ; Preconcentration 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-019-00906-7

Chemical Papers 74 (2) 619–630 (2020)