Efficient immobilization of iodide from aqueous solution by Cu2O/Cu modified shungite

The Cu 2 O/Cu modified shungite (ShC) absorbent (Cu 2 O/Cu-ShC) was synthesized by hydrothermal method, benefiting from the mineral backbone and Cu 2 O/Cu particles, Cu 2 O/Cu-ShC can remove ~ 96% of I − within 60 min, the batch experiments showed that the I − adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model with maximum adsorption capacity of 10.99 mg/g. The high binding affinity between Cu + and I − contributes effective removal of I − and excellent selectivity at high concentrations of competing ions. This work highlights the feasibility of Cu 2 O/Cu-ShC for the radioactive iodine separation, and provides a promising sorbent material for large-scale purification of radioactive iodine anions in wastewater.