Efficient removal of cesium and strontium from an aqueous solution using a zirconosilicate/vanadium oxide nanocomposite

Here, we have reported a simple and one-step hydrothermal method for preparing a highly uniform sodium zirconosilicate mesoporous sorbent supported with vanadium oxide nanoparticles (VO2). The results showed the formation of NPs with a surface area of 73.21 m(2)/g and with a particle size ranged from 67 to 80 nm. Furthermore, the proposed fabricated composite has been used to significantly remove the cesium and strontium ions from the aqueous solution by a batch method. The phase and structural characteristics of the VO2/zirconosilicate nanocomposites were well studied by using XRD, SEM, HRTEM, and nitrogen adsorption techniques. The results showed that the cesium and strontium ions were efficiently adsorbed by mesoporous VO2/zirconosilicate ion exchanger at a natural and wide pH ranges. Various kinetic and isotherms models have been developed to highlight the adsorption process of cesium and strontium ions. The fabricated zeolitic materials exhibited an adsorption capacity of 30.5 and 22.2 mg g(-1) for Cs(I) and Sr(II), respectively. The collected data showed that the synthesized VO2/zirconosilicate has the maximum potential to properly remove Cs(I) and Sr(II) from the aqueous media.

Automated summary

In this study, a simple and one-step hydrothermal method was used to prepare a highly uniform sodium zirconosilicate mesoporous sorbent supported with vanadium oxide nanoparticles (VO2). The fabricated composite showed excellent removal efficiency for cesium and strontium ions from aqueous solutions. The structural characteristics and adsorption process were well studied using various techniques.