A robust prediction of U(VI) sorption on Fe3O4/activated carbon composites with surface complexation model

Yubing Sun; Dingkun Peng; Ying Li; Han Guo; Ning Zhang; Huihui Wang; Peng Mei; Alhadi Ishag; Hamed Alsulami; Mohammed Sh Alhodaly

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2020.109467

A robust prediction of U(VI) sorption on Fe₃O₄/activated carbon composites with surface complexation model

Environ Res. 2020 Jun:185:109467. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109467. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ MOE Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental System Optimization, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, PR China; Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: sunyb@ncepu.edu.cn.
² MOE Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental System Optimization, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, PR China.
³ Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 32276168
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109467

Abstract

A robust prediction of U(VI) on Fe₃O₄/activated carbon (Fe₃O₄/AC, fabricated by co-precipitation method under N₂ conditions) under different pH was developed via diffuse layer model, in accordance with FI-IR, XRD and XPS analysis. No influence of ionic strength onto U(VI) adsorption by Fe₃O₄/AC under ambient conditions suggested the inner-sphere surface adsorption, which was attributed to abundant surficial functional groups according to FT-IR and XPS analysis. The batch experiments indicated Fe₃O₄/AC with fast adsorption rate (equilibrium within 60 min), high adsorption capacity (56 mg/g at pH 4.0) towards U(VI). The adsorbed U(VI) was partly reduced by Fe²⁺ of Fe₃O₄/AC by XPS analysis. Surface complexation modeling showed that a single set of monodentate and mononuclear species (SOUO₂⁺) cannot predict U(VI) adsorption at high pH, whereas the robust prediction of U(VI) adsorption over wide pH range was observed by adding the other binuclear and tridentate species ((SO)₂UO₂(CO₃)^6-). These findings revealed that magnetic AC as a candidate for immobilization and/or preconcentration of radioactive wastewater in environment management.

Keywords: Adsorption mechanism; Fe(3)O(4)/AC; Modeling; U(VI); XPS.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Charcoal
Osmolar Concentration
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
Uranium*
Water Pollutants, Radioactive* / analysis

Substances

Water Pollutants, Radioactive
Charcoal
Uranium