Preparation of novel polyvinyl alcohol-carbon nanotubes containing imidazolyl ionic liquid/chitosan hydrogel for highly efficient uranium extraction from seawater

Kaiwen Luo; Qingliang Wang; Qi Xin; Zhiwu Lei; Eming Hu; Hongqing Wang; Hongqiang Wang; Feng Liang

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128751

Preparation of novel polyvinyl alcohol-carbon nanotubes containing imidazolyl ionic liquid/chitosan hydrogel for highly efficient uranium extraction from seawater

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Feb;258(Pt 1):128751. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128751. Epub 2023 Dec 14.

Authors

Kaiwen Luo¹, Qingliang Wang¹, Qi Xin¹, Zhiwu Lei¹, Eming Hu¹, Hongqing Wang², Hongqiang Wang³, Feng Liang⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Resource & Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China.
³ School of Resource & Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China. Electronic address: whongq77@126.com.
⁴ Henan Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Rehabilitation Technology, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Henan University of Urban Construction, Pingdingshan 467036, China.

PMID: 38101661
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128751

Abstract

A novel polyvinyl alcohol-carbon nanotube containing an imidazolyl ionic liquid/chitosan composite hydrogel (termed CBCS) was prepared for highly selective uranium adsorption from seawater. The results show that CBCS has good adsorption properties for uranium within the pH range of 5.0-8.0. Kinetics and thermodynamics experiments show that the theoretical maximum adsorption capacity of CBCS to U(VI) is 496.049 mg/g (288 K, pH = 6.0), indicating a spontaneous exothermic reaction. Mechanism analysis shows that the hydroxyl group, amino group, and CN bond on the surface of CBCS directly participate in uranium adsorption and that the dense pores on the surface of CBCS play an important role in uranium adsorption. The competitive adsorption experiment shows that CBCS has excellent uranium adsorption selectivity. In addition, CBCS exhibits good reusability. After five adsorption-desorption cycles, the uranium adsorption rate of CBCS can still reach >98 %. Hence, CBCS has excellent potential for uranium extraction from seawater.

Keywords: Adsorption; Hydrogel; Ionic liquid; Selectivity; Uranium.

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Chitosan* / chemistry
Hydrogels / chemistry
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Ionic Liquids*
Kinetics
Nanotubes, Carbon*
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Seawater / chemistry
Uranium* / chemistry

Substances

Polyvinyl Alcohol
Nanotubes, Carbon
Uranium
Chitosan
Ionic Liquids
Hydrogels