Insight into the performance and mechanism of low-cost phytic acid modified Zn-Al-Ti LMO for U(VI) removal

The efficient treatment of uranium (U) is an important and challenging issue regarding radioactive wastes management. Adsorbent with high efficacy, low-cost is urgently needed for alleviating the contamination of U-containing wastewaters. To solve these issues, we report a series of phytic acid (PA) modified Zn-Al-Ti layered mixed metal oxides (Zn-Al-Ti LMO@PAs) in this work, which shows the adsorption capacity as high as similar to 1486 mg/g and could be easily obtained through a facile post-modification method. The adsorption performance of Zn-Al-Ti LMO@PAs for U(VI) are carefully estimated through batch experiments. With the aid of batch experiments and various characterization techniques, PA in Zn-Al-Ti LMO@PAs is found to make the most contribution for the chelation of U(VI), which favors for the adsorption selectivity and capability. The Zn-Al-Ti LMO@PAs are potential cost-effective adsorbents to remove the U(VI) in wastewaters.