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Simultaneous removal and recovery of uranium from aqueous solution using TiO2 photoelectrochemical reduction method

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Abstract

U(VI)-containing wastewater has potential radiation hazard to the environment, but contains valuable uranium resource. Based on the reduction of U(VI) and the difference in solubility between U(VI) and U(IV), here we construct a TiO2-based photoelectrochemical cell to remove U(VI) and recover uranium from aqueous solution. By irradiating TiO2 photoanode at E = 0.45 V versus SCE, U(VI) can be simultaneously removed from aqueous solution and recovered as solid uranium compounds on a FTO glass cathode. Since ethanol can act as hole scavenger to protect the formed U(IV) and provide CO −·2 as reductant, ethanol adding improved the U(VI) reduction efficiency of TiO2-based photoelectrochemical cell.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program: 2014CB846003), Applied Basic Research Programs of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (2017JY0146), National Undergraduate Training Programs for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (201610619015), Science and Technology Program of Hebei Province (D2016403064, 16044601Z), Xinjiang Science Fund of Outstanding Young Scholars (15211121), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (2016M592698) and Cooperative Research Fund of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials (GLMPM-019).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Nonmetal Composites and Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

    Huichao He, Meirong Zong, Faqin Dong, Pengpan Yang, Gaili Ke & Liang Bian

  2. Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle, Ministry of Education, School of Environment and Resource, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

    Huichao He, Meirong Zong, Faqin Dong, Mingxue Liu, Xiaoqin Nie & Liang Bian

  3. Key Laboratory of Electronic Information Materials and Devices, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Huichao He, Wei Ren & Liang Bian

  4. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou, 510460, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Huichao He

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  1. Huichao He
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  2. Meirong Zong
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Correspondence to Faqin Dong or Liang Bian.

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He, H., Zong, M., Dong, F. et al. Simultaneous removal and recovery of uranium from aqueous solution using TiO2 photoelectrochemical reduction method. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 313, 59–67 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5278-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5278-y

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