Uranium removal from groundwater using hydroxyapatite

The present work shows that U can be effectively removed from groundwater using permeable reactive barriers with hydroxyapatite (HAP) as reactive material. The main factor influencing the removal processes is the composition of the groundwater, namely the concentration of Ca and carbonate. Sorption of U onto the HAP surface seems to be the dominant removal process with the possibility of remobilisation. Newly formed U-phosphate minerals were detected by ESEM/EDX and XRD in samples with high U content indicating either a dissolution-precipitation mechanism or sorption onto the apatite surface followed by alteration of the structure. The formed U-phosphate minerals are stable under common groundwater conditions and can be remobilised only at high pH-values and high carbonate concentrations.