Novel cationic surfactants: synthesis, surface, antimicrobial studies and applicability as an extracting agent for interested element from monazite mineral concentrate

Abstract Two novel cationic surfactants based on palmitic acid were prepared to extract uranium from its fluids. The chemical structures of the surfactants prepared were confirmed spectroscopically. The surface activity of these surfactants was evaluated by measuring their surface tension. The cationic surfactants prepared were also tested for their biological activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Subsequently, an attempt was made to use these surfactants to remove uranium from the hydrous oxide cake produced after the alkaline degradation of monazite mineral concentrate. To achieve this goal, several experiments were conducted to determine the optimal conditions for uranium extraction and stripping. Under these optimal conditions, the experimental capacity fitted the pseudo-second order kinetic model. Under the investigated optimal stripping factors of 1 M NaCl, acidified with 0.2 M conc. H2SO4, an A:O ratio of 1:1 and a contact time of 15 min, an uranium stripping efficiency of 83% was obtained for the case study. After the complete stripping process, the marketable uranium concentrate was percipitated using hydrogen peroxide as UO4 H2O with an uranium content of approximately 76%, which was chemically determined and confirmed by EDAX analysis.