Adsorptive removal of trace thallium(I) from wastewater: A review and new perspectives

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 393; p. 122378
• Main Authors: Zhao, Zhuo, Xiong, Yanhang, Cheng, Xiankun, Hou, Xue, Yang, Yongxiang, Tian, Yongpan, You, Jinglin, Xu, Liang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05.07.2020
• Subjects: Adsorption; Macrocyclic compounds; Technology overview; Thallium removal; Wastewater; Macrocyclic compounds; Adsorption; Technology overview; Thallium removal; Wastewater
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122378

[Display omitted] •Adsorptive removal technologies for Tl(I) from industrial wastewater were reviewed.•The adsorption capacity and selectivity of varied types of adsorbents were compared.•The adsorption mechanisms of Tl(I) by varied types of adsorbents were summarized.•Application of macrocyclic compounds in Tl(I) removal from wastewater was proposed.•Future direction of research and development of wastewater processing was discussed. Thallium is an emerging pollutant reported in wastewater along with the increasing mining and smelting of thallium-containing ores in recent years. The complete removal of Tl(I) from wastewater is of significant emergency due to its high toxicity and mobility, however, Tl(I) removal is always confronted with numerous technical difficulties because of the extremely low Tl(I) concentration in wastewater and the disturbances of many accompanying impurity ions. Adsorption is currently the most widely used method for Tl(I) removal on industrial scale and varied kinds of adsorbents such as Prussian blue analogues, biosorbents, and metal oxides have been developed. However, the adsorption process of Tl(I) is always affected by the co-existing cations, resulting in low Tl(I) removal efficiency. Recently, the development of a variety of novel adsorbents or ion sensors based on macrocyclic compounds for enrichment and accurate determination of trace Tl(I) in aqueous solutions exhibits great potential for application in Tl(I) removal from wastewater with high selectivity and process efficiency. This paper provides an overview of the adsorption methods for Tl(I) removal from wastewater with emphasis on complexation properties between varied types of adsorbents and Tl(I). Future directions of research and development of adsorptive Tl(I) removal from industrial wastewater are proposed.