Synergistic nanofibrous adsorbent for uranium extraction from seawater. Issue 85 (30th August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Bowu; Guo, Xiaojing; Xie, Siyuan; Liu, Xiyan; Ling, Changjian; Ma, Hongjuan; Yu, Ming; Li, Jingye
• Is Part Of: RSC advances. Volume 6:Issue 85(2016)
• Page Start: 81995
• Page End: 82005
• Publication Date: 2016-08-30
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540.5
• DOI: 10.1039/c6ra18785d
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2069

Abstract

Abstract : A nanofibrous adsorbent containing dual-ligands with a synergistic effect of uranyl adsorption from simulated seawater was fabricated by a parallel-blend electrospinning method. Abstract : Huge reserves of uranium (U) in seawater have been of interest to scientists and energy companies since the 1950s. However, extracting trace concentrations (3.3 ppb) of U from seawater is economically unfeasible without new, high-performance adsorbents. Here, a mat-like nanofibrous composite adsorbent containing binary coordination groups (amidoxime (AO) and carboxyl (AC − )) in a highly porous network of nanofibers is constructed via a parallel-blend electrospinning method. Its U uptake in artificial seawater is more than double those of adsorbents containing AO or AC − groups alone. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that this synergistic effect is because the AC − group promotes both the U 5f/6d orbital contribution to U–AO bonding and the dissociation of uranyl tricarbonate ions in seawater. In a continuous flow-through experiment with simulated seawater, the nanofibrous adsorbent achieves an adsorption capacity up to 2.86 mg U gads −1 in 30 d but without saturation, indicating a high efficiency for U extraction.