Efficient U(VI) adsorption on iron/carbon composites derived from the coupling of cellulose with iron oxides: Performance and mechanism

Novel iron/carbon composites were successfully prepared via coupling of cellulose with iron oxides (e.g. α-FeOOH, Fe 2 O 3 and Fe(NO 3 ) 3 ·9H 2 O) at different temperatures under nitrogen atmosphere. Characterization by various techniques implied that chemical interaction between cellulose and Fe 3 O 4 /Fe 0 existed in the as-prepared iron/carbon composites. The site of interaction between cellulose and iron precursors was illustrated (mainly combined with COO-). The self-reduction of Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ or even Fe 0 and the interaction between carbon and Fe 3 O 4 /Fe 0 in the calcination process realized the strong magnetism of the composites. Batch experiments and spectroscopic techniques indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity of MHC-7 for U(VI) (105.3 mg/g) was significantly higher than that of MGC-7 (86.0 mg/g) and MFC-7 (79.0 mg/g), indicating that Fe 2 O 3 can be regarded as the remarkable iron resource for the iron/carbon composites. XPS results revealed that the oxygen-containing groups were responsible for the adsorption process of U(VI) on iron/carbon composites, and the adsorption of carbon and reduction of Fe 0 /Fe 3 O 4 toward U(VI) were synergistic during the reaction process. In addition, the iron/carbon composites exhibited a good recyclability , recoverability and stability for U(VI) adsorption in the regeneration experiments. These findings demonstrated that the iron/carbon composites can be considered as valuable adsorbents in environmental cleanup and the Fe 2 O 3 was a promising iron resource for the preparation of iron/carbon composites.