Selective separation of uranium from UCF effluents by nanofiltration

Selective separation of uranium from two samples of Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) effluent using a nanofiltration membrane, PES2, in cross flow pattern was studied. The effect of pH on performance of uranium separation was studied and the optimum condition for both samples was achieved in pH 7. Then effect of pressure rise from 5 to 10 bars was also investigated. Folw rate of permeate stream increased linearly during pressure rise, as was expected. Uranium rejection diminished during pressure rise from 5 to 7.5 bars and increased from 7.5 to 10 bars to near its amount in 5 bars. Thus the best pressure was 5 bars, providing uranium rejection is the objective. Rejection of uranium during nanofiltration at optimized condition was 65% for sample1 and 96% for sample2 while rejection of nickel and copper were much lower. The results revealed that valuable uranium can be separated from the UCF effluents using nanofiltration.

Keywords:

Uranium , Nanofiltration , Effluent , Rejection , UCF