KINETICS OF URANIUM EXTRACTION BY MACROPOROUS BIFUNCTIONAL PHOSPHINIC ACID RESIN

Abstract

ABSTRACT The rate of extraction of uranium by macroporous bifunctional phosphinic acid (MPBPA) resin from nitric acid medium has been studied under particle diffusion controlled conditions. The internal diffusion coefficient was found to increase with increase in temperature and decrease with increase in particle size. The activation energies and entropies suggest that the extraction of uranium essentially follows ion exchange mechanism at low concentration of nitric acid while it is through linkage of >P=0 group of the resin at high concentrations.