Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
5 years ago

Superparamagnetic Adsorbent Based on Phosphonate Grafted Mesoporous Carbon for Uranium Removal

Superparamagnetic Adsorbent Based on Phosphonate Grafted Mesoporous Carbon for Uranium Removal
Hyun Ju Kim, Syed M. Husnain, Yoon-Young Chang, Yoon-Seok Chang, Wooyong Um
A direct approach was presented to graft phosphonate groups on magnetic mesoporous carbon by an impregnation method with environmentally friendly precursors unlike the conventional methods involving a series of complicated steps and harsh conditions. Through the in situ reduction of Fe3+, magnetite particles of ∼10 nm were successfully embedded into the mesopores, which was confirmed by HR-TEM. Surface characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared revealed phosphonate functional groups anchored through multidentate bonding with the surface of P–Fe–CMK-3. Due to the combined advantages of mesoporous pore size (5.5 nm), phosphonate ligands (1.42 mmol g–1), and magnetic sensitivity (5.20 emu g–1), this multifunctional adsorbent captured >85% of UO22+ within 5 min and the maximum adsorption capacity was 150 mg g–1 at pH 4. The exceptionally high selectivity and efficiency of P–Fe–CMK-3 toward uranyl capture even in groundwater (Kd = 1 × 105 mL g–1), radioactive wastewater (Kd = 3 × 104 mL g–1), and seawater (Kd = 1 × 104 mL g–1) at V/m = 1000 mL g–1 was better than that of the previously reported adsorbents. Importantly, the adsorbent maintained UO22+ adsorption efficiency >99% over five cycles due to the excellent chemical and structural stabilities. Above all, the adsorbent could be manipulated for UO22+ capture with help of a magnetic field in the real world, especially in case of nuclear accidents, decommissioning of nuclear power plants and/or uranium recovery from seawater.

Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.7b01737

DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.7b01737

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