Efficient separation and recovery of Re(VII) from Re/U bearing acidic solutions using aminotriazole modified cellulose microsphere adsorbents

In this work, aminotriazole-modified microcrystalline cellulose microsphere (3-ATAR) containing an abundant nitrogen content as promising adsorbent was prepared via a radiation grafting method for the selective recovery ReO4- in the presence of UO22+ in acidic solution. A series of batch and column adsorption experiments including monocomponent and binary systems were designed for evaluating the adsorption and separation performance of Re(VII) onto 3-ATAR. The 3-ATAR exhibited a good adsorption capacity (max 146.4 mg center dot g(-1)) of Re(VII) and a rapid adsorption rate, with equilibrium time of 45 min. In binary solution, the high selectivity coefficients (beta(Re/M)) indicated that 3-ATAR could separate and recover Re(VII) from U(VI) and other metal ions (Cu(II), Cr(III), Ni(II), Zn(II)). In particular, it was found that the adsorption of Re was almost unaffected in U/Re-bearing solutions no matter how much the U(VI) was changed. In the column experiment, when the concentration of U(VI) was 40 times higher than that of Re(VII), 3-ATAR manifested high Re(VII) selectivity over U(VI) from a synthetic uranium ore leachate. This work demonstrated that 3-ATAR could provide an efficient, selectively, sustainable, and industrially feasible way for Re(VII) to be recovered from uranium ore leachate and other prospective sources. Graphical abstract

Automated summary

In this study, aminotriazole-modified microcrystalline cellulose microsphere (3-ATAR) was prepared as a promising adsorbent for the selective recovery of ReO4- in acidic solution. Batch and column adsorption experiments showed that 3-ATAR had a high adsorption capacity for Re(VII) and excellent selectivity over other metal ions, particularly U(VI). The results suggest that 3-ATAR is an efficient, selective, sustainable, and industrially feasible method for recovering Re(VII) from uranium ore leachate and other potential sources.