Tailoring Nanoadsorbent Surfaces: Separation of Rare Earths and Late Transition Metals in Recycling of Magnet Materials

Abstract

Novel silica-based adsorbents were synthesized by grafting the surface of SiO2 nanoparticles with amine and sulfur containing functional groups. Produced nanomaterials were characterized by SEM-EDS, AFM, FTIR, TGA and tested for adsorption and separation of Rare Earth Elements (REE) (Nd3+ and Sm3+) and Late Transition Metals (LTM) (Ni2+ and Co2+) in single and mixed solutions. The adsorption equilibrium data analyzed and fitted well to Langmuir isotherm model revealing monolayer adsorption process on homogeneously functionalized silica nanoparticles (NPs). All organo-silicas showed high adsorption capacities ranging between 0.5 and 1.8 mmol/g, depending on the function and the target metal ion. Most of these ligands demonstrated higher affinity towards LTM, related to the nature of the functional groups and their arrangement on the surface of nanoadsorbent.

Keywords

recycling; silica nanoadsorbents; adsorption; REE; LTM; functional ligands

Published in

Nanomaterials
2022, volume: 12, number: 6, article number: 974
Publisher: MDPI

SLU Authors

• Vardanyan, Ani

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Guillon, Anna

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Seisenbaeva, Gulaim

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG6 Clean water and sanitation
SDG12 Responsible consumption and production

UKÄ Subject classification

Materials Chemistry

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12060974

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/116795