EFFICIENT ADSORPTION OF Ce (III) ONTO POROUS CELLULOSE/GRAPHENE OXIDE COMPOSITE MICROSPHERES PREPARED IN IONIC LIQUID

A novel adsorbent made of porous cellulose/graphene oxide composite microspheres (PCGCM) was synthesized in [Bmim]Cl ionic liquid. The as-prepared PCGCM was evaluated for the removal of Ce (III) via static adsorption experiments. The results showed that the adsorption equilibrium of Ce (III) onto PCGCM was achieved within 50 min and the adsorption was highly pH dependent. An excellent adsorption capacity as high as 415.1 mg•g-1 was obtained at a pH of 4.9, which was much higher than most adsorbents reported in the literature. The pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model were found to fit the adsorption behavior of PCGCM well. The XPS analysis confirmed that the adsorption was based on the ion exchange mechanism. Meanwhile, PCGCM could be regenerated with 1 mol•L-1 HCl for repetitious adsorption of Ce (III). This work provides an attractive approach for the removal of rare earth ions as pollutants.