It must be noted that the Purogold S992 extractant carrier was not ground prior to mixing with THF to ensure that the individual resin beads which made up the Purogold S992 extractant carrier retained their mechanical strength and performance. Furthermore, it was observed that the individual resin beads of the Purogold S992 extractant carrier did not disintegrate when mixed with THF as expected. Instead, the PVC acted as a binding agent which joined/ cast the individual resin beads of the S992 extractant carrier together.