Thiourea-formaldehyde-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for the Selective Removal of Copper from Multielement Solution

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Copper (Cu) is vital for renewable energy but faces supply challenges.
• Selective Cu recovery from complex waste streams is difficult due to competing elements.
• Sustainable strategies are needed to ensure Cu supply security and minimize environmental impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel sorbent for selective copper recovery.
• To evaluate the sorbent's performance in competitive and real-world conditions.
• To investigate the adsorption mechanism and optimize recovery parameters.

Main Methods:

• Functionalization of graphene oxide with thiourea-formaldehyde to create G3DTF sorbent.
• Adsorption experiments in monoelement and multielement solutions.
• Isotherm, kinetic, and response surface methodology analyses.
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for binding confirmation.

Main Results:

• G3DTF achieved ≈99% Cu removal with negligible uptake of competing ions.
• Maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was 23.4 mg g⁻¹.
• Optimized conditions (1.1 g L⁻¹, pH 5.2) ensured efficient and selective Cu recovery.
• XPS confirmed Cu-S interaction as the primary binding mechanism.

Conclusions:

• G3DTF demonstrates high selectivity and efficiency for copper recovery from complex matrices.
• The sorbent offers a sustainable solution for critical raw material recovery.
• This technology has significant potential for application in waste stream treatment and resource management.