Epoxy graphene oxide from a simple photo-Fenton reaction and its hybrid with phytic acid for enhancing U(VI) capture

Hao Lei; Daohui Zhou; Jiao Tang; Xiaoping Hu; Ning Pan; Hao Zou; Fangting Chi; Xiaoqiang Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140316

Epoxy graphene oxide from a simple photo-Fenton reaction and its hybrid with phytic acid for enhancing U(VI) capture

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Oct 10:738:140316. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140316. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Authors

Hao Lei¹, Daohui Zhou¹, Jiao Tang¹, Xiaoping Hu², Ning Pan³, Hao Zou¹, Fangting Chi¹, Xiaoqiang Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Fundamental Science on Nuclear Wastes and Environmental Safety Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China; National Co-Innovation Center for Nuclear Waste Disposal and Environmental Safety, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China; School of National Defense Science and Technology, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China.
² School of Material Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China.
³ Fundamental Science on Nuclear Wastes and Environmental Safety Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China; National Co-Innovation Center for Nuclear Waste Disposal and Environmental Safety, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China; School of National Defense Science and Technology, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China. Electronic address: xinyushuolian@163.com.

PMID: 32806358
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140316

Abstract

A novel approach to synthesize phytic acid (PA) functionalized graphene oxide (P-pFGO-7) treated by the photo-Fenton reaction has been designed, which has been used as an adsorbent for efficient capture of U(VI) from aqueous solution. The structure and morphology of P-pFGO-7 were characterized well. The adsorption property for P-pFGO-7 was comprehensively assessed by batch experiments, showing the high adsorption capacity (266.7 mg/g, at pH = 4.0, T = 298 K), fast adsorption kinetics (~10 min), good selectivity for U(VI) and Ln-An ions in various coexisting ions and excellent regeneration capacity. With the assistance of various characterization techniques and batch adsorption results, it is found that PA makes the most contribution to coordinate U(VI) heavily depending on the PO moiety. P-pFGO-7 could be regenerated by 0.1 mol/L Na₂CO₃ with ~95% desorption efficiency and reused well after five recycles. This present work provides a feasible route to modify graphene oxide and extend PA for potentially practical application in the removal of U(VI) from radioactive wastewater.

Keywords: Adsorption; Graphene oxide; Photo-Fenton oxidation; Phytic acid; Uranium.