Preparation of amine or carboxyl groups modified cellulose beads for removal of uranium (VI) ions from aqueous solutions

Abstract

In the present study, cellulose beads were prepared using the phase inversion method and then activated with epichlorohydrin. The epoxy groups of the activated beads were modified with Nα,Nα-bis(carboxymethyl)-L-lysine hydrate (CML), and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) ligands. These modified beads, coded as cellulose-COOH and cellulose-NH2, respectively, were used to remove of uranium (VI) ions from aqueous medium. The prepared adsorbents were characterized using FTIR, SEM, zeta-potential, and analytical methods; the performance of both the modified beads for the removal of uranium (VI) ions was optimized using different operational parameters in a batch system. The amount of adsorbed uranium ions on cellulose-COOH and cellulose-NH2 beads was 462.9 ± 13.7 and 127.4 ± 5.1 mg/g, respectively. The results are acceptable regarding the equilibrium kinetics for the adsorption of uranium (VI) ions, which followed the second-order kinetic model. The prepared activated cellulose beads could be utilized in many technological applications by making appropriate modifications in the reactive epoxy groups of cellulose.