Establishment of Russian Academy of Sciences I. V. Tananaev Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Rare Elements and Mineral Raw Materials of the Kola Science Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences

L. G. Gerasimova, Sector Manager, e-mail: gerasimova@chemy.kolasc.net.ru
M. V. Maslova, Senior Researcher
A. I. Nikolaev, Deputy Director

A method for the production of a new, composite inorganic adsorbent based on titanium phosphate derived from current wastes of apatite-nepheline ore processing is described. The new variant of waste recovery makes it possible to implement advanced and environmentally friendly patterns. In this work, a scientific justification for parameters of titanium phosphate precursor synthesis and treatment is proposed. The technology is highly effective; the adsorbent can be used in cleaning of weak-salt aqueous effluents. The chemical stability of the composite adsorbent in various solutions has been studied to determine the optimal operating conditions for it. It has been found that after five sorptiondesorption cycles the material’s ion-exchandes capacity remains practically unchanged. The possibility of recoverying the sorbent saturated with transition metals has been examined by using different mineral acids. Methods for the spent material utilization in the production of building fillers are discussed. The paper provides the data on purification of real wastewater of multimineral ore processing. It was noted that the cations of water hardness are first absorbed by the material, later becoming displaced by elements forming stronger bonds with phosphate groups. By the example of artificial radioactive solutions containing ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁵²Eu, ²³⁴Th, ²³⁸U, ⁶⁰Со, we determined the material’s ion-exchange capacity and its dependence on the adsorbent’s initial bulk density and number of sorption stages. The material has demonstrated superior ion-exchange properties in wastewater purification from non-ferrous metals and radionuclides.

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