A sodium alginate gel bead adsorbent doping with amidoxime-modified hydroxyapatite for the efficient adsorption of uranium.

In this work, the modified‑sodium alginate gel beads were prepared by sol-gel method. Due to the presence of water channels in the sodium alginate gel bead, amidoxime groups and PO 4 3− were exposed to the surface of the adsorbent to the maximum extent, resulting in the excellent adsorption capacity of modified‑sodium alginate gel beads. The introduction of amidoxime-modified hydroxyapatite significantly improved the adsorption capacity and the adsorption rate of the gel beads. The adsorption capacity increased from 308.7 to 466.0 mg/g and the adsorption equilibrium time was shortened from 300 min to 120 min. The modified‑sodium alginate gel bead possessed the advantages of short adsorption time, high adsorption efficiency and large adsorption capacity, which could be regarded as a potential adsorbent for uranium. Moreover, the uranium removal ability on the modified gel beads was mainly attributed to the Coulomb force between PO 4 3− and uranium and the complexation between uranium and amidoxime groups. In summary, this work would provide a new idea for the modification and application of sodium alginate-based materials. [Display omitted] • A new sodium alginate-based gel bead was effectively created. • AO@HAP&SA was used for uranium removal with high adsorption affinity. • The saturated adsorption capacity of AO@HAP&SA reached 466.0 mg/g. • The introduction of AO groups broadened the pH usage range of SA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]