Graphene aerogel capsulated precipitants for high efficiency and rapid elimination of uranium from water

Developing convenient and rapid method for eliminating uranium from massive contaminated water under emergency conditions is highly needed. Herein we developed a novel chemical precipitation strategy based on graphene aerogel capsulated with the degradation products of phytic acid (PAGA). With hydrothermal treatment, graphene oxide was twisted and reduced to generate aerogel, acting as an encapsulator. At the same time, phytic acid (PA) was degraded into various compounds and capsulated into graphene aerogel with a high loading capacity of 85 g/g. After adding PAGA into uranium contaminated water, the degradation products were released out of GA skeleton to combined with uranium and form sediments. The elimination capacity reached up to 3550 mg/g within 40 min and the obtained sediments possessed good stability in the following 72 h. PAGA capsule also presented high removal rate in various water systems, making it a kind of versatile material in the elimination of uranium under emergency conditions.