Eco‐Friendly Biosorption of Uranium from Aqueous Solutions Using Sepiolite‐Cavex CA37 Composite Biosorbent

Abstract

AbstractCavex CA37 is a dental material used for positive tooth impressions. After the mold is taken, it hardens through a fast‐chemical reaction with air, then becomes waste after usage. In this study, natural sepiolite and Cavex CA37 are mixed at certain ratios to obtain a composite SCX‐37 biosorbent that is used for the biosorption of ions from a synthetic aqueous solution. Parameters affecting biosorption, such as solution pH, ambient temperature, contact time, and ion concentration, are investigated. The biosorption of ions on SCX‐37 reaches equilibrium in 120 min with 97.56% efficiency at 30 °C and pH 4. The isotherms (Langmuir, Freundlich, and D‐R) and thermodynamic values of the biosorption of ions on the SCX‐37 biosorbent are calculated according to the obtained data. It is determined that there is a high correlation between experimental results and all three isotherm models. The adsorption capacity is found to be 41.39 mg g−1. The biosorption of ions onto the SCX37 biosorbent is a chemisorption process with an adsorption energy of 40.50 kJ mol−1.