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Efficient extraction of UO22+ from seawater by polyethylenimine functionalized activated carbon (PEI-AC): adsorption performance and mechanism

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Abstract

In this work, an inexpensive PEI-AC sorbent was synthesized by facile hydrothermal grafting method and used to uranium capture from seawater. Batch experimental demonstrated that the optimal operation pH of PEI-AC was 6.0. The adsorption process is conformed to pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir monolayer adsorption isotherm, and the maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity reached 50.27 mg/g. The PEI-AC samples exhibited better selective and efficiency in various competing ions and uranium-spiked seawater. Furthermore, the removal efficiency remained 88.52% after five sequence adsorption/desorption experiments. By the analysis of XPS, the interaction of UO22+ with N/O-containing ligands were the primary immobilization mechanism.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (Grant No. 2016YFC1402504), and we highly appreciated the assist of characterization by Key Lab of material composite new technology of Wuhan University of Technology.

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  1. School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China

    Chang Liu, Ye Li, Shuang Liu, Dongxue Liu, Chengbin Fu & Lingfeng Ye

  2. School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

    Yuzhi Zhou

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Liu, C., Li, Y., Liu, S. et al. Efficient extraction of UO22+ from seawater by polyethylenimine functionalized activated carbon (PEI-AC): adsorption performance and mechanism. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 331, 4635–4648 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08523-7

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