Th(IV) Adsorption onto Oxidized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in the Presence of Hydroxylated Fullerene and Carboxylated Fullerene

Adsorption of Th(IV) on the modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes using central composite design

Adsorption of thorium onto nitric acid modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes was investigated by central composite design as a function of contact time, pH, initial thorium concentration and temperature. The results showed that optimum uptake capacity was 65.75±2.23 mg·g−1 with respect to pH=4, initial thorium concentration of 100 mg·L−1, 25 °C and 15 min contact time. Thermodynamic parameters [standard enthalpy (ΔH 0), entropy (ΔS 0), and free energy (ΔG 0)] were calculated, and the results indicated that adsorption was endothermic. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms have been investigated in order to characterize the adsorption process in the range of 25–100 mg·L−1 initial thorium concentration. The Freundlich isotherm is the best suited as a model because it has the highest correlation coefficient (R2=0.9485). The pseudo-second order kinetics well defined the adsorption process.

The Poly(acrylonitrule-co-acrylic acid)-graft-β-cyclodextrin Hydrogel for Thorium(IV) Adsorption

In this report, the β-CD(AN-co-AA) hydrogel was used to remove the thorium(IV) [Th(IV)] from the water system, and the new adsorbent was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The influences of contact time, pH value, ionic strength, solid-liquid ratio, initial Th(IV) concentration, and temperature on Th(IV) adsorption onto the functional hydrogel were researched. The results showed that the experimental data followed the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) for Th(IV) was 692 mg/g at pH 2.95, which approached the calculated (q_e) 682 mg/g. The desorption capacity of Th(IV) in different HNO₃ concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 0.5 M was also studied, and the percentage of the maximum desorption was 86.85% in the condition of 0.09 M HNO₃. The selectivity of β-CD(AN-co-AA) hydrogel was also be studied, the results indicated that this material retained the good adsorption capacity to Th(IV) even when the Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, or Pb²⁺ existed in the system. The findings indicate that β-CD(AN-co-AA) can be used as a new candidate for the enrichment and separation of Th(IV), or its analogue actinides, from large-volume solution in practical application.

Diglycolamic acid-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a highly efficient sorbent for f-block elements: experimental and theoretical investigations

Diglycolamic acid-functionalized carbon nanotubes were employed for the efficient and selective separation of Pu⁴⁺, PuO₂²⁺ and Am³⁺.

Which fullerenols are water soluble? Systematic atomistic investigation

Insights to guide a choice of most soluble fullerenols.

Metabolizer in vivo of fullerenes and metallofullerenes by positron emission tomography

Fullerenes (C60) and metallofullerenes (Gd@C82) have similar chemical structure, but the bio-effects of both fullerene-based materials are distinct in vivo. Tracking organic carbon-based materials such as C60 and Gd@C82 is difficult in vivo due to the high content of carbon element in the living tissues themselves. In this study, the biodistribution and metabolism of fullerenes (C60 and Gd@C82) radiolabeled with (64)Cu were observed by positron emission tomography (PET). (64)Cu-C60 and (64)Cu-Gd@C82 were prepared using 1, 4, 7, 10-tetrakis (carbamoylmethyl)-1, 4, 7, 10-tetra-azacyclodo-decanes grafted on carbon cages as a chelator for (64)Cu, and were obtained rapidly with high radiochemical yield (≥90%). The new radio-conjugates were evaluated in vivo in the normal mouse model and tissue distribution by small animal PET/CT imaging and histology was carried out. The PET imaging, the biodistribution and the excretion of C60 and Gd@C82 indicated that C60 samples have higher blood retention and lower renal clearance than the Gd@C82 samples in vivo and suggested that the differences in metabolism and distribution in vivo were caused by the structural differences of the groups on the fullerene cages though there is chemical similarity between C60 and Gd@C82.

Uranium(vi) adsorption from aqueous solutions using poly(vinyl alcohol)/carbon nanotube composites

A series of PVA/MWCNTs hydrogels were synthesized and characterized. Incorruption of MWCNTs into PVA enhanced UO₂²⁺ ions removal efficiency compared to the PVA only. UO₂²⁺ adsorption process on PVA/MWCNTs hydrogels was exothermic and spontaneous.

Unanticipated favoured adsorption affinity of Th(iv) ions towards bidentate carboxylate functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNT–COOH) over tridentate diglycolamic acid functionalized CNT: density functional theoretical investigation

CNT–COOH has higher adsorption affinity for Th⁴⁺ in aqueous solution compared to CNT–DGA, whereas pristine CNT has nil.

Green Adsorbents for Wastewaters: A Critical Review

One of the most serious environmental problems is the existence of hazardous and toxic pollutants in industrial wastewaters. The major hindrance is the simultaneous existence of many/different types of pollutants as (i) dyes; (ii) heavy metals; (iii) phenols; (iv) pesticides and (v) pharmaceuticals. Adsorption is considered to be one of the most promising techniques for wastewater treatment over the last decades. The economic crisis of the 2000s led researchers to turn their interest in adsorbent materials with lower cost. In this review article, a new term will be introduced, which is called "green adsorption". Under this term, it is meant the low-cost materials originated from: (i) agricultural sources and by-products (fruits, vegetables, foods); (ii) agricultural residues and wastes; (iii) low-cost sources from which most complex adsorbents will be produced (i.e., activated carbons after pyrolysis of agricultural sources). These "green adsorbents" are expected to be inferior (regarding their adsorption capacity) to the super-adsorbents of previous literature (complex materials as modified chitosans, activated carbons, structurally-complex inorganic composite materials etc.), but their cost-potential makes them competitive. This review is a critical approach to green adsorption, discussing many different (maybe in some occasions doubtful) topics such as: (i) adsorption capacity; (ii) kinetic modeling (given the ultimate target to scale up the batch experimental data to fixed-bed column calculations for designing/optimizing commercial processes) and (iii) critical techno-economical data of green adsorption processes in order to scale-up experiments (from lab to industry) with economic analysis and perspectives of the use of green adsorbents.