Functionalized hierarchically porous carbon doped boron nitride for multipurpose and efficient treatment of radioactive sewage

In order to recycle Uranium (U) for the sustainable development of nuclear energy, diamide bipyridine (DABP) mod-ified hierarchically porous carbon doped boron nitride (BCN-DABP) was synthesized as an adsorbent for the multipur-pose removal of U. BCN-DABP displayed good adsorption performance for U in both weakly and highly acidic solutions. The hierarchically porous structure endowed BCN-DABP with ultrafast adsorption kinetics, and adsorption reached equilibrium within 180.0 and 0.5 min under pH = 4.0 and 2.00 mol L-1 HNO3, respectively. Moreover, com-bination of adsorption isotherm studies and DFT calculations showed that BCN-DABP possessed high adsorption ca-pacities for U and displayed different adsorption performance under different conditions. BCN-DABP adsorbed UO22+ by chelation and electrostatic attraction under pH 4.0 and 2.00 mol L-1 HNO3, the maximum adsorption capac-ity under two conditions reached 818.7 and 1296.7 mg g-1, respectively. As a result, BCN-DABP is expected to be used for the rapid and efficient removal of U in various kinds of contaminated water. Furthermore, excellent salinity toler-ance, good adsorption selectivity, and outstanding radiation resistance also endowed BCN-DABP with great practical potential for removing U in radioactive contaminated water as well as high level liquid waste.

Automated summary

To recycle uranium for sustainable nuclear energy development, researchers synthesized a modified porous carbon doped boron nitride adsorbent for uranium removal. The adsorbent showed good adsorption performance in weakly and highly acidic solutions, with ultrafast kinetics and high adsorption capacity. It also had excellent salinity tolerance, adsorption selectivity, and radiation resistance, making it a promising candidate for uranium removal from contaminated water.