Fabrication of ion imprinted diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-polyethylenimine modified magnetic graphene oxide for selective adsorption of Ce(III)

Selective recovery of rare earth elements is essential for both sustainable exploitation of rare earth resources and environmental remediation. Herein, Ce(Ⅲ) imprinted diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-polyethylenimine modified magnetic graphene oxide (IIP-DTPA-PEI-MGO) was fabricated for selective adsorption of Ce(Ⅲ). Adsorption efficiency and selectivity performance of IIP-DTPA-PEI-MGO towards Ce(Ⅲ) were evaluated via batch adsorption targeted at single and mixed solution, respectively. Adsorption mechanism was elucidated based on versatile adsorption fittings (isotherms, kinetics, thermodynamics) and spectroscopic tests (XPS, FTIR). Result presents, maximum adsorption efficiency of IIP-DTPA-PEI-MGO for Ce(III) is reached at pH = 5 in 30 min, demonstrating superior efficiency. The maximum mono layer adsorption capacity determined by the Langmuir model is 281.69 mg g⁻¹. After adsorption, 75.65 % of original Ce(Ⅲ) is transferred into Ce(Ⅳ), while 24.35 % remain as Ce(Ⅲ). Furthermore, by virtue of its paramagnetic property, IIP-DTPA-PEI-MGO can be easily recovered for cyclic adsorption, thereby keeping adsorption quantity 90.44 mg g⁻¹ on Ce(Ⅲ) in five consecutive cycles. Owing to ion imprinting sites, IIP-DTPA-PEI-MGO exhibits selectivity coefficient 1.34, 1.69, 2.32, 2.96, 15.24, 10.51 towards Ce(III) for binary solution Ce/La, Ce/Nd, Ce/Eu, Ce/Dy, Ce/Cu, Ce/Cr, respectively. In terms of adsorption mechanism, versatile functional groups O-H, C-N, C-O in IIP-DTPA-PEI-MGO provide heterogeneous affinity for Ce(Ⅲ), inducing chemical adsorption. This work provides a novel approach towards fabricating magnetic bio adsorbent for selective recovery of Ce(Ⅲ).