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Published on: May 6, 2019
Spider-web-inspired phosphorylated aerogel engineered via Schiff base linkages for efficient uranium capture
Mingyang Ma1, Hongyan Li2, Qunyin Luo2
1National Key Laboratory of Uranium Resources Exploration-Mining and Nuclear Remote Sensing, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330013, PR China; Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Polymers, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330013, PR China.
A novel phosphorylated biosorbent, P-gelatin/G2.0, effectively captures uranium from wastewater. This sustainable material shows high capacity and reusability for nuclear environmental remediation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Nuclear energy use generates uranium-contaminated wastewater, posing environmental risks.
- Efficient uranium separation is crucial for nuclear wastewater treatment and environmental safety.
- Development of high-performance adsorbents is essential for effective uranium removal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel phosphorylated biosorbent for efficient uranium capture.
- To investigate the adsorption performance, mechanism, and reusability of the developed biosorbent.
- To explore the potential of the biosorbent in nuclear wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of P-gelatin/G2.0 biosorbent using phosphorylated polyamidoamine dendrimers and gelatin.
- Characterization using spider-web-inspired architecture and Schiff base crosslinking.
- Uranium adsorption experiments, isotherm and kinetic studies, thermodynamic analysis, XPS, and DFT calculations.
Main Results:
- P-gelatin/G2.0 achieved a maximum uranium adsorption capacity of 1103.20 mg·g⁻¹ at pH 6.0.
- Adsorption followed Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating a spontaneous mechanism.
- The biosorbent demonstrated high selectivity, excellent reusability (84.94% after 5 cycles), and phosphate groups dominated U(VI) coordination.
Conclusions:
- P-gelatin/G2.0 is a highly efficient, selective, and reusable biosorbent for uranium capture.
- Phosphorylation and hierarchical structure are key to its superior adsorption performance.
- The material shows significant potential for sustainable uranium recovery and environmental remediation.
