NiOx modified cellulose cloth for the removal of U(VI) from water

In this present work, NiOx nanoparticles were coated over cotton cloth for U6+ removal under various environmentally relevant conditions. Characterization of the NiOx-coated cotton cloth showed a nanoflower-structured morphology over the cotton fabric, with poly-crystalline alpha-3Ni(OH)(2)center dot 2H(2)O and microcrystalline cellulose on the surface. XRF analysis of the cloth revealed the presence of 93% of Ni, while XPS analysis indicated that the Ni present on the cloth was in the form of Ni(2+)2p(3/2) and Ni(2+)2p(1/2). The NiOx-coated cotton cloth exhibited excellent U6+ immobilization with 93.5% removal within 6 min. The sorption capacity was ascertained to be 12.05 mg/g, and equilibrium studies indicated favorable monolayer adsorption. Solution pH had a significant effect on U6+ sorption on NiOx-coated cotton cloth, with maximum immobilization occurring at pH 6. Sorption kinetics was best explained using pseudo-second order kinetics indicating chemisorption-based process. Post-sorption XPS of U6+ sorbed NiOx modified cotton cloth revealed only U6+ with no reduced forms, suggesting a pure adsorption-based immobilization mechanism. The superior performance even amongst the competing ions demonstrated that the NiOx-coated cotton cloth is a low-cost, effective material for U6+ removal. (C) 2021 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

NiOx nanoparticles coated cotton cloth exhibited excellent U6+ immobilization with favorable adsorption capacity and monolayer adsorption property, showing maximum immobilization at pH 6. The sorption kinetics was best described by pseudo-second order kinetics, indicating a chemisorption-based process.