Green conversion of waste alkaline battery material to zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 and its iodine capture mechanism

Shengshou Ma; Ka-Ming Leung; Changzhong Liao; Chung-Kai Chang; Ying Zhou; Shangsi Chen; Xiaolong Zhao; Qi Zhao; Kaimin Shih

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133612

Green conversion of waste alkaline battery material to zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 and its iodine capture mechanism

J Hazard Mater. 2024 May 5:469:133612. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133612. Epub 2024 Feb 15.

Authors

Shengshou Ma¹, Ka-Ming Leung², Changzhong Liao³, Chung-Kai Chang⁴, Ying Zhou⁵, Shangsi Chen⁶, Xiaolong Zhao⁶, Qi Zhao⁷, Kaimin Shih⁸

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
² Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China. Electronic address: liaocz29@connect.hku.hk.
⁴ National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
⁵ Center for Water Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai 519087, China.
⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Porkfulam Road, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
⁷ Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
⁸ Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. Electronic address: kshih@hku.hk.

PMID: 38422728
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133612

Abstract

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) exhibits excellent performance in capturing iodine. However, the solvent-based procedures and raw materials for ZIF-8 synthesis often lead to secondary pollution. We developed a solvent-minimizing method for preparing ZIF-8 via ball milling of raw material obtained from spent alkaline batteries, and studied its iodine-capture performance and structural changes. Exposure of the ZIF-8 to iodine vapor for 60 min demonstrated that it exhibited industrially competitive iodine-capture performance (the adsorbed amount reaches to 1123 mg g^-1 within 60 min). Spectroscopic studies showed that ZIF-8 underwent a structural transformation upon iodine loading. Iodine molecules were adsorbed onto the surface of ZIF-8 and also formed C-I bond with the methyl groups on the imidazole rings, reducing iodine release. This work represents a comprehensive revelation of long-range order and short-range order evolution of ZIF-8 during iodine vapor adsorption over time. Moreover, this green synthesis of ZIF-8 is of lower cost and generates fewer harmful by-products than existing methods, and the produced ZIF-8 effectively entraps toxic iodine vapor. Thus, this synthesis enables a sustainable and circular material flow for beneficial utilization of waste materials.

Keywords: Ball milling; Circular material flow; Structural transformation; Waste form; Zinc oxide.