Deepika Lakshmi Ramasamy

Chemically immobilized and physically adsorbed PAN/acetylacetone modified mesoporous silica for the recovery of rare earth elements from the waste water-comparative and optimization study

This study was aimed at the investigation of Rare Earth Element (REE) recovery from aqueous solution by silica gels with 1-(2-Pyridylazo) 2-naphthol (PAN) and acetyl acetone (Acac) modifications. The two different methods of silica gel chelation, such as chemical immobilization with the help of silane coupling agents (3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) and 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) in this study) and direct physical adsorption onto the silica surface, is compared in terms of their REE removal efficiency. A comparative analysis between adsorption of different REEs for different silica gels is performed and the influence of parameters such as pH, contact time, temperature and initial concentration has been reported. The effect of calcined adsorbents on the adsorption process is also investigated. Characterization studies on silica gels by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and zeta potential analysis are performed to better understand the relation between physical/chemical attributes of the adsorbents and their impact on the adsorption process. The experimental results are evaluated and optimal conditions for REE adsorption are identified. Chemically immobilized gels demonstrated immense potential for all the REE under study except Sc, for which, physically loaded gels seemed to be more efficient. The removal of REEs could be achieved at lower pHs by chemically immobilized PAN/Acac gels, making it suitable for many practical applications. The amine functionalized gels before chemical immobilization step were compared with PAN/Acac chemically immobilized gels in single as well as multi element system and the significance of chemical immobilization after amine functionalization is also stated.

N- and O- ligand doped mesoporous silica-chitosan hybrid beads for the efficient, sustainable and selective recovery of rare earth elements (REE) from acid mine drainage (AMD): Understanding the significance of physical modification and conditioning of the polymer

Silica-chitosan hybrid beads were synthesized via three different methods to investigate the selective recovery of REE from AMD. The influence of amino/non-amino silanes, high molecular weight/high viscous chitosan and N-/O- based ligands were studied and their effects on REE removal efficiencies were analyzed. The adsorption efficiencies of three various groups of modified beads were inspected with respect to feed pH, in a single and a multi-component system, and their affinities towards the light and heavy rare earth elements (LREE/ HREEs) were interpreted to understand the intra-series REE separation behavior. The focus of the study was mainly directed towards utilizing these fabricated beads for the recovery of valuable REEs from the real AMD obtained at three different sampling depths which was found rich in iron, sulfur and aluminum. Moreover, the selectivity of the beads towards REEs improved with silanized and ligand immobilized gels and their impacts on REE recovery in the presence of competing ions were successfully presented in this paper. Also, the synthesized beads showed rapid REE adsorption and recovery within a process time of 5 min. Group II adsorbents, synthesized by forming silica-chitosan hybrid beads followed by PAN/acac modifications, showed superiority over the other groups of adsorbents.

Understanding the factors affecting the adsorption of Lanthanum using different adsorbents: A critical review

Over the past few decades, removal and recovery of Lanthanum (La) have received great attention due to its significance in different industrial processes. In this review, the application of various adsorbents viz. biosorbents, commercial and hybrid materials, nanoparticles, nanocomposites etc. have been summarized in terms of the removal and recovery of La. The influence of various operating parameters including pH, dosage, contact time, temperature, coexisting ions, adsorption kinetics, isotherm and thermodynamics were investigated. Statistical analysis of the obtained data revealed that 60% and 70% of the authors reported an optimum pH of 4-6 and a dose of 1-2 g/L, respectively. It can be concluded on the basis of an extensive literature survey that the adsorbent materials (especially hybrids nanocomposites) containing carboxyl, hydroxyl and amine groups offered efficient La removal over a wide range of pH with higher adsorption capacity as compared to other adsorbents (e.g., biosorbents and magnetic adsorbents). Also, in most cases, equilibrium and kinetics were followed by Langmuir and pseudo second-order model and adsorption was endothermic in nature. To evaluate the adsorption efficiency of several adsorbents towards La, desorption and regeneration of adsorbents should be given due consideration. The main objective of the review is to provide an insight into the important factors that may affect the recovery of La using various adsorbents.