The Adsorption of Europium and Uranium on the Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Modified Molybdenum Disulfide Composites

With the wide use of nuclear energy, radioactive pollution has become a public environmental concern. In this study, the sodium dodecyl sulfate modified molybdenum disulfide (SDS/MoS₂) was used to remove Eu­(III) and U­(VI). The experimental results demonstrated that the uptake of radionuclides on SDS/MoS₂ was dependent on solution pH. The maximum adsorption capacities of SDS/MoS₂ at pH 5.0 were 83.0 mg/g for Eu­(III) and 98.4 mg/g for U­(VI), respectively. The simultaneous adsorption experiment revealed that the existence of Eu­(III) could decrease the capture of U­(VI) and vice versa. The main removal mechanism of Eu­(III) and U­(VI) was the electrostatic attraction. Furthermore, the S groups of SDS/MoS₂ might form complexes with Eu­(III) and U­(VI), which also increased the elimination of radionuclides.