High-Capacity and Rapid Radioiodine Capture from Gas and Water by Triazine-Functionalized Collagen Fibers

Effective elimination of radioactive iodine species from nuclear waste is critical for ecological protection, human health safety, and the sustainable development of nuclear energy. Herein, a collagen fiber-based iodine adsorbent (ACFT) was fabricated via glutaraldehyde-mediated triazine functionalization. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of intrinsic collagen functional groups and introduced nitrogen-rich triazine sites, ACFT achieved excellent adsorption toward iodine (I 2 ) and triiodide (I 3 – ). The maximum I 2 adsorption capacity reached 2.977 g/g, and over 95% of I 3 – was rapidly removed within 10 min at 60 ° C and pH = 8. The adsorption mechanism mainly relies on charge transfer coordination between triazine nitrogen and iodine species, together with hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions of collagen groups. With favorable stability and regenerability, the biobased ACFT, as a sustainable, high-efficiency adsorbent, presents great potential for practical radioactive iodine remediation in nuclear wastewater and airborne iodine treatment.