Characterization and Evaluation of Acrylic Acid Co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane-1-sulfonic Acid Hydrogels for Uranium Recovery

Crosslinked 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid -co- acrylic acid (AMPS/AA) hydrogels were synthesized by radical polymerization in the presence of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as the crosslinking agent using potassium persulfate (KPS) as initiator. Hydrogels with different compositions and crosslinker concentrations were prepared. The structures of hydrogels were characterized by FTIR analysis. Thermal stabilities of the hydrogels were investigated using TGA and DSC analysis. Swelling kinetics and the equilibrium water content (EWC) of the hydrogels were studied. The swelling behavior of these hydrogels was investigated at different pHs at room temperature. Also the swelling behavior of these hydrogels was investigated at different ionic strength. The ability of the prepared hydrogels to bind uranium(VI) was tested under noncompetitive conditions by batch equilibrium procedure. Experimental work using uranyl nitrate hexahydrate bought from the local market was carried out in the safeguards destructive analysis laboratory (KMP-I) in the National Center for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control.