Adsorption of Th(IV) from aqueous solution by the graphene oxide nanoribbons/chitosan composite material

In order to reduce the potential toxicity to the environment after treatment of radioactive waste water, an eco-friendly graphene oxide nanoribbons/chitosan (GONRs-CTS) composite was prepared and utilized for adsorption of Th(IV) from aqueous solution. The GONRs-CTS adsorbent was characterized by XRD, FTIR and SEM, indicating that GONRs-CTS contains a large amount of oxygen-containing groups and chitosan was successfully attached to the GONRs surface. The Th(IV) adsorption on GONRs-CTS was endothermic and spontaneous, with the maximum single layer adsorption capacity was 140.6 mg g −1 at pH = 3.0, in the contact time of 12 h. The adsorption process was consistent with pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model.