Preparation and Characterization of a New Composite Adsorbent MCM-48-Calcium Alginate for Removal of Uranium (VI) from Aqueous Solution
摘要
In this study, a new adsorbent was synthesized by encapsulation of mesoporous MCM-48 at different weight ratios in calcium alginate (CA). The obtained MCM-48-calcium alginate (MCM-48-CA) composite beads were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and BET analysis. The evaluation of their performance as adsorbents for uranyl ions retention was conducted in batch mode on both dried and swelled beads. The effect of contact time, pH and uranium concentration of the initial solution was studied. Furthermore, modelling of the experimental data was also performed. The results showed that highest specific surface area obtained for the elaborated MCM-48-CA was 84 m2 g−1 and the adsorption capacity of swelled composite beads is greater than dried beads. The maximum uranium adsorption capacity found was around 116 mg g−1, resulting from the synergy effect of the functional groups of both MCM-48 and calcium alginate. The kinetic study reveals that uranium adsorption by (MCM-48-CA) well follows the pseudo-second-order model, and the Langmuir model best describes the adsorption isotherm.