Selective uranium capture from nitric acid media using a PS-GMA-supported phenanthroline diamide sorbent

Abstract A phenanthroline diamide ligand was immobilized on glycidyl methacrylate-modified polystyrene for uranium adsorption from nitric acid. Increasing acidity enhanced discrimination against rare-earth ions. Columns retained over 99.7% of uranium from dilute single-component solutions and 79.07% in a multicomponent sample containing a combined 2500-fold excess of ten metal ions. Competitive batch tests showed appreciable Fe and Ru co-uptake. The lowest column effluent concentration was 0.0563 µg L⁻¹. Small-volume simulated digestion tests gave 96.60–98.85% apparent retention, corresponding to 64.40–65.90 mg g⁻¹ under the tested conditions. The material shows potential for selective uranium retention in nitric acid media.