Rare Earth Elements Removal from Water Using Natural Polymers.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Inorganic Chemistry

Background:

• Rare earth metals (Eu, Nd) are critical in modern technologies but pose environmental risks.
• Developing efficient and eco-friendly adsorbents is crucial for rare earth metal remediation.
• Cellulose-based materials offer a sustainable platform for adsorbent development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize thiourea functionalized cellulose for rare earth metal adsorption.
• To investigate the adsorption performance of this novel material for Eu (III) and Nd (III).
• To determine the optimal adsorption conditions and understand the adsorption mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of thiourea functionalized cellulose.
• Characterization using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX).
• Batch adsorption experiments to study the influence of adsorbent dosage, time, temperature, and initial metal concentration.
• Kinetic, thermodynamic, and equilibrium studies using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips models.

Main Results:

• The synthesized material was successfully characterized, confirming functionalization.
• Maximum adsorption capacities of 27 mg/g for Eu (III) and 73 mg/g for Nd (III) were achieved.
• Optimal adsorption occurred within 30 minutes at 298 K.
• Adsorption data fitted well with pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir/Sips isotherms, suggesting chemisorption.

Conclusions:

• Thiourea functionalized cellulose is a highly effective and environmentally friendly adsorbent for Eu (III) and Nd (III).
• The material demonstrates rapid adsorption kinetics and significant capacity, making it suitable for rare earth metal removal.
• This study highlights the potential of modified cellulose in addressing challenges related to rare earth metal contamination.