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Adsorption of Ions on Zirconium Oxide Surfaces from Aqueous Solutions at High Temperatures

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Abstract

Surface titrations were carried out on suspensions of monoclinic ZrO2 from 25 to 290 °C slightly above saturation vapor pressure at ionic strengths of 0.03, 0.1 and 1.0 mol⋅kg−1(NaCl). A typical increase in surface charge was observed with increasing temperature. There was no correlation between the radius of the cations, Li+, Na+, K+ and (CH3)4N+, and the magnitude of their association with the surface. The combined results were treated with a 1-pKa MUSIC model, which yielded association constants for the cations (and chloride ion at low pH) at each temperature. The pH of zero-point-charge, pHzpc, decreased with increasing temperature as found for other metal oxides, reaching an apparent minimum value of 4.1 by 250 °C. Batch experiments were performed to monitor the concentration of LiOH in solutions containing suspended ZrO2 particles from 200 to 360 °C. At 350 and 360 °C, Li+ and OH− ions were almost totally adsorbed when the pressure was lowered to near saturation vapor pressure. This reversible trend has implications not only to pressure-water reactor, PWR, operations, but is also of general scientific and other applied interest. Additional experiments probed the feasibility that boric acid/borate ions adsorb reversibly onto ZrO2 surfaces at near-neutral pH conditions as indicated in earlier publications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA

    D. A. Palmer, D. J. Wesolowski & L. M. Anovitz

  2. Illinois State Water Survey, 2204 Griffith Dr., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    M. L. Machesky

  3. Laboratoire des Mécanismes et Transferts en Géologie, CNRS/IRD/Université de Toulouse, 31400, Toulouse, France

    P. Bénézeth

  4. Electrical Power Research Institute, 3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    J. C. Deshon

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  1. D. A. Palmer
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Palmer, D.A., Machesky, M.L., Bénézeth, P. et al. Adsorption of Ions on Zirconium Oxide Surfaces from Aqueous Solutions at High Temperatures. J Solution Chem 38, 907–924 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10953-009-9415-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10953-009-9415-2

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