Eksplorium : Buletin Pusat Pengembangan Bahan Galian Nuklir
Vol. 47 No. 1 (2026): MAY 2026

Adsorption of Thorium(IV) from Aqueous Solution Using Natural Bentonite from Pacitan, Indonesia

Amalia Ekaputri Hidayat (Research Center for Nuclear Material and Radioactive Waste Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Suci Indryati (Directorate for Nuclear Facility Management Deputy for Research and Innovation Infrastructure, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Roza Indra Laksmana (Research Center for Nuclear Material and Radioactive Waste Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Inda Robayani Walayudara (Directorate for Laboratory Management, Research Facilities, and Science and Technology Park Deputy for Research and Innovation Infrastructure, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Deden Dharmawan (Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Universitas Indonesia)
Rommy (Research Center for Nuclear Material and Radioactive Waste Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Aditya Widian Putra (Research Center for Nuclear Material and Radioactive Waste Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Afiq Azfar Pratama (Directorate for Nuclear Facility Management Deputy for Research and Innovation Infrastructure, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Rachmat Fauzi Hidayat (Research Center for Nuclear Material and Radioactive Waste Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))
Saka Wahyu Hidayat (Directorate for Nuclear Facility Management Deputy for Research and Innovation Infrastructure, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN))



Article Info

Publish Date
31 May 2026

Abstract

Separating and utilizing thorium from industrial by-products is essential for economic, energy, and environmental reasons. Natural bentonite can be an effective adsorbent for removing various contaminants, including thorium. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of natural bentonite from Pacitan as an adsorbent for thorium removal. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted using a surrogate thorium solution to evaluate the effects of adsorbent dosage, contact time, and adsorption kinetics and isotherms. The study shows that the adsorbent's pHpzc is 7. The adsorbent also shows a cation-exchange capacity of 90.69 meq/100g. The adsorption experiments revealed that using 0.1 g of adsorbent in a 50 mL solution containing 100 ppm thorium yielded an adsorption efficiency of 99.34%. Experimental observations determined an optimum contact time of 120 minutes with 99.80% efficiency. The adsorption data were well-fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm, suggesting chemisorption-dominated behavior consistent with monolayer coverage on homogeneous active surface sites. These findings indicate that natural bentonite from Pacitan is a promising, cost-effective material for removing thorium from wastewater.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

eksplorium

Publisher

Subject

Chemical Engineering, Chemistry & Bioengineering Earth & Planetary Sciences Energy Engineering Materials Science & Nanotechnology

Description

EKSPLORIUM is published to deliver the results of studies, research and development in the field of nuclear geology. The manuscripts are the result of study, research and development of nuclear geology with scope: geology, exploration, mining, nuclear minerals processing, safety and environment, and ...