Efficient and rapid capture of uranium(VI) in wastewater via multi-amine modified β-cyclodextrin porous polymer

• Published in: Chinese journal of chemical engineering Vol. 68; pp. 144 - 155
• Main Authors: Zhong, Xing, Tan, Yubin, Wu, Siyuan, Hu, Caixia, Guo, Kai, Wu, Yongchuan, Yu, Neng, Ma, Mingyang, Dai, Ying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.04.2024
• Subjects: Adsorption; Pollution; Uranium(VI); Waste water; β-Cyclodextrin; β-Cyclodextrin; Pollution; Adsorption; Uranium(VI); Waste water
• ISSN: 1004-9541; 2210-321X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2023.12.018

It is quite important to ensure the safety and sustainable development of nuclear energy for the treatment of radioactive wastewater. To treat radioactive wastewater efficiently and rapidly, two multi-amine β-cyclodextrin polymers (diethylenetriamine β-cyclodextrin polymer (DETA-TFCDP) and triethylenetetramine β-cyclodextrin polymer (TETA-TFCDP)) were prepared and applied to capture uranium. Results exhibited that DETA-TFCDP and TETA-TFCDP displayed the advantages of high adsorption amounts (612.2 and 628.2 mg·g−1, respectively) and rapid adsorption rates, which can reach (88 ± 1)% of their equilibrium adsorption amounts in 10 min. Moreover, the adsorbent processes of DETA-TFCDP and TETA-TFCDP on uranium(VI) followed the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order model, stating they were mainly chemisorption and self-endothermic. Besides, TETA-TFCDP also showed excellent selectivity in the presence of seven competing cations and could be effectively reused five times via Na2CO3 as the desorption reagent. Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy illustrated that the enriched multi-amine groups and oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of TETA-TFCDP were the main active sites for capturing uranium(VI). Hence, multi-amine β-cyclodextrin polymers are a highly efficient, rapid, and promising adsorbent for capturing uranium(VI) from radioactive wastewater. [Display omitted] •DETA-TFCDP and TETA-TFCDP had the ability to fast capture the U(VI) from wastewater.•The maximum adsorption amounts of DETA-TFCDP and TETA-TFCDP for U(VI) reached 612.2 and 628.2 mg·g–1, respectively.•The oxygen-containing and multi-amine groups on the surface of TETA-TFCDP complexed with U(VI).