Fixed-bed breakthrough curve modeling for effective samarium adsorption on radiated-grafted-vinyl acetate-polypropylene fibrous

The research involved exposing polypropylene polymer fibers to gamma-ray irradiation in order to attach vinyl acetate monomers to the fibers. Next, the grafted polymer was hydrolyzed and then placed in a solution containing diglycolic anhydride and 1,4-dioxane to attach the ligand, resulting in the creation of a modified polymer adsorbent with effective samarium ion adsorption capabilities. Various factors influencing samarium adsorption were studied, such as contact time, pH levels, temperature, adsorbent weight, and samarium ion concentration. The structure of the adsorbent was analyzed using FTIR and SEM techniques, revealing a significant grafting percentage with a well-structured material. Both equilibrium isotherms and kinetics were examined, with the results aligning with the Langmuir and pseudo second order models. Research involving the adsorption process of rare earths, copper, zinc, and cobalt indicated that samarium and other rare earth ions are specifically adsorbed at a pH of 3, while cobalt ions do not exhibit significant adsorption. This finding suggests that this process could be a viable option for treating leach solutions resulting from the recovery of samarium and cobalt magnets. The research conducted a comparison of five distinct models for breakthrough curves to simulate the dynamic adsorption process. Modeling the breakthrough curve characteristics aided in comprehending the dynamic behavior of the selected adsorbent during the adsorption of samarium.