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Synthesis of core–shell structured Fe3O4@carboxymethyl cellulose magnetic composite for highly efficient removal of Eu(III)

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Abstract

In this work, a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-modified Fe3O4 (denoted as Fe3O4@CMC) composite was synthesized via a simple co-precipitation approach. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential and thermogravimetric analysis results indicated that CMC was successfully coated on the Fe3O4 surfaces with a weight percent of ~30 % (w/w). The prepared Fe3O4@CMC composite was stable in acidic solution and could be easily collected with the aid of an external magnet. A batch technique was adopted to check the ability of the Fe3O4@CMC composite to remove Eu(III) as a function of various environmental parameters such as contact time, solution pH, ionic strength, solid content and temperature. The sorption kinetics process achieved equilibrium within a contact time of 7 h. The sorption isotherms were well simulated by the Langmuir model, and the maximum sorption capacity at 293 K was calculated to be 2.78 × 10−4 mol/g, being higher than the series of adsorbent materials reported to date. The ionic strength-independent sorption behaviors, desorption experiments by using ammonium acetate and disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate as well as the spectroscopic characterization suggested that Eu(III) was sequestrated on the hydroxyl and carboxyl sites of Fe3O4@CMC via inner-sphere complexation. Overall, the Fe3O4@CMC composite could be utilized as a cost-effective adsorbent for the removal of trivalent lanthanide/actinides (e.g., 152+154Eu, 241Am and 244Cm) from radioactive wastewater.

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Acknowledgments

Yawen Cai and Fang Yuan contributed equally to this paper. Financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41203086; 21422704; 41303006), the Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20140007), “Young Thousand Talented Program” in China, the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection and the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions are acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, People’s Republic of China

    Yawen Cai, Fang Yuan, Xiaomei Wang, Zhuang Sun, Yang Chen, Zhiyong Liu, Xiangke Wang, Shitong Yang & Shuao Wang

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Suzhou, 215123, People’s Republic of China

    Yawen Cai, Fang Yuan, Xiaomei Wang, Zhuang Sun, Yang Chen, Zhiyong Liu, Xiangke Wang, Shitong Yang & Shuao Wang

  3. School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, People’s Republic of China

    Xiangke Wang

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  1. Yawen Cai
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  2. Fang Yuan
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  3. Xiaomei Wang
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  4. Zhuang Sun
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  5. Yang Chen
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  8. Shitong Yang
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  9. Shuao Wang
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Correspondence to Shitong Yang or Shuao Wang.

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Cai, Y., Yuan, F., Wang, X. et al. Synthesis of core–shell structured Fe3O4@carboxymethyl cellulose magnetic composite for highly efficient removal of Eu(III). Cellulose 24, 175–190 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-016-1094-8

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