IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) e-ISSN: 2278-5736.Volume 7, Issue 12 Ver. II. (Dec. 2014), PP 45-52 www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 45 | Page Lanthanum (III) Removal onto Lewatit TP 214 Resin in Nitrate Medium: Kinetic and Thermodynamic Study Nacer Ferrah 1,2 , Omar Abderrahim 2 , M.A. Didi 2 ,. 1 University Center of Naâma, BP 66, Naâma 45000 DZA, Algeria. 2 Laboratory of Separation and Purification Technology, Department of Chemistry, Tlemcen University, Box 119, Tlemcen, Algeria. Abstract: This study aims to investigate lanthanum(III) removal onto Lewatit TP 214 resin containing thiourea group in polystyrene- divinylbenzene matrix, in batch process. The effects of parameters such as the concentration, pH level, contact time, ionic strength and temperature were investigated. The results showed remarkable affinity of resin towards lanthanium(III) cations. The maximum uptake values of Ln(III) was 38.46 mg/g. Percentage removal increases with increasing initial pH solution, lanthanium(III) cations removal was better in initial pH values of 5.20, at room temperature. The uptake kinetic for lanthanium(III) onto Lewatit TP 214 was best described by the pseudo second order model. The Langmuir isotherm fit well obtained equilibrium data compared to the Freundlich isotherm. The thermodynamic data for lanthanium(III) cations sorption onto Lewatit 214 resin, indicate that the process endothermic (∆H = + 5.72 KJ.mol -1 ). In addition, the thermodynamic study showed also negative ∆G values, indicating that the sorption process of lanthanium(III) is spontaneous. Keywords: lanthanum (III) removal, Lewatit TP 214 resin, kinetics, thermodynamics. I. Introduction Rare earth elements (RE) have gained considerable attention due to their unique properties and a guide range of applications [1, 2]. Recovery of lanthanides is interesting due to its high market prices along with various industrial applications. Different methods have been proposed for separation and preconcentration of lanthanides, such as co-precipitation, solvent extraction, liquid-liquid extraction, etc [3, 4]. Solvent extraction is the most common methodologie for the preconcentration and separation of lanthanides from various matrices. Solvent extraction are not economically attractive and it have some disadvantages, such as high consumption of reagent and energy, low selectivity, high operational cost and generation of secondary metabolites, which may create health and environmental problems [5]. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is the most common technique used for metal pre-concentration in aqueous phase. It is simpler to operate and easier to separate. Various adsorbents including chelating resins and ion exchange resins are used in extraction of metal ions [6, 7]. Lewatit TP 214 is a monospherical, macroporous chelating resin with thiourea groups, having a high affinity for metal cations (Fig.01). The objective of this research is to carry out a sorption of lanthanum(III) ions from aqueous solutions, using resin Lewatit TP 214. The effects of analytical parameters, such as adsorption kinetic, isotherm study and temperature were investigated. C H 3 CH 3 NH S NH 2 Thiourea Polystyrene Fig.01: Lewatit TP 214 resin II. Experimental 2.1. Reagents Lewatit TP 214 (from Bayer) is a chelating ion-exchange resin having thiourea as functional groups in a styrene matrix. Their physical properties and specifications as reported by the suppliers are shown in Table 1.All solutions were prepared from analytical grade chemicals and distilled water. A stock solution of 1.0.10 -2 mol L -1 of La(NO 3 ) 3 _ 6H 2 O (from Fluka) was prepared by dissolving 4.3302 g in 1L of distilled water. The diluted solutions of lanthanum ions were prepared by appropriate dilution of the stock solutions. Hydrochloride