RECOVERY OF HEAVY-METAL ION FROM SLURRY ADSORBENT BY ION-EXCHANGE MEMBRANE

An ion exchange membrane was employed as a concentrating adsorbent for a slurry solution in which it is difficult to use a particulate adsorbent in a process for concentrating a substance from one adsorbent to another. To find the mechanisms of the secondary step of the separation and the concentration of uranium from a slurry adsorbent used for the recovery of uranium from sea-water, experiments were carried out by use of an agitated vessel equipped with an ion exchange membrane. The equations for the changes of concentration of an adsorbate in the membrane, in the solution and on the slurry adsorbent were derived for a linear equilibrium system. The calculated results were in good agreement with the experimental data, assuming the liquid-film mass transfer coefficient in the slurry solution for ion exchange membrane to be 1/3 that in aqueous solution.