Inactive microbial biomass can be used as an efficient and selective adsorbent for elements of importance to the uranium mining industry, e.g. U, Th, 226Ra.Selective biomass types can sequester radionuclides from solution in the presence of a variety of other competing ions. Adsorption up-take equilibrium capacity have been determined for U, Th and 226Ra. The elution (recovery) of U and Ra has also been studied in detail.Experimental results show that by using appropriate elution conditions all absorbed radio nuclides can be recovered from biomass. Work on the pelletizing of the biomass has also been advanced considerably.Biomass pellets allow more effective use of the biomass properties and facilitate engineering design.
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M. Tsezos (1985) studied this question.