A Styrofoam-nano manganese oxide based composite: Preparation and application for the treatment of wastewater

J Al Abdullah; Abdul G Al Lafi; Yusr Amin; Tasneem Alnama

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.02.013

A Styrofoam-nano manganese oxide based composite: Preparation and application for the treatment of wastewater

Appl Radiat Isot. 2018 Jun:136:73-81. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.02.013. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

Authors

J Al Abdullah¹, Abdul G Al Lafi², Yusr Amin³, Tasneem Alnama³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Protection and Safety, Atomic Energy Commission, Damascus 6091, Syrian Arab Republic. Electronic address: prscientific12@aec.org.sy.
² Department of Chemistry, Atomic Energy Commission, Damascus 6091, Syrian Arab Republic.
³ Department of Protection and Safety, Atomic Energy Commission, Damascus 6091, Syrian Arab Republic.

PMID: 29477050
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.02.013

Abstract

Nano-composites were synthesized by the reaction of waste polystyrene (PS) and KMnO₄. The structure of the composite was controlled by the solvent/non-solvent system and the concentration of KMnO₄. The FTIR spectra indicated the functionalization of PS and the attachment of NMO with the polymer chains. The maximum adsorption capacities (q_max) were 10,000 and 5000 Bq g^-1, for U and Th respectively. Different but controllable sorption/desorption behaviours were noted between Th and U, which could be promising in the separation of Th and U from their mixture.

Keywords: Nano manganese oxide; Polystyrene; Radionuclide; Sorption; Wastewater.