Rice Husk Cellulose-Based Adsorbent to Extract Rare Metals: Preparing and Properties

Abstract

Adsorption is one of the common stages in the hydrometallurgy of rare metals. Its efficiency is largely determined by the quality of the sorbent used. The purpose of this work was to create an activated sorbent based on rice husk cellulose for the extraction of rhenium from aqueous solutions. Two types of cellulose were obtained by treating rice husk with a 1.5% NaOH solution (alkaline cellulose) and a nitric acid solution in ethyl alcohol (Kürschner and Hoffer cellulose). They were tested by IR, SEM, TA, TPD-MS, and XRD methods. It was found that Kürschner and Hoffer cellulose does not contain lignin and retains structural order to a greater extent. By means of this cellulose carbonization at 600 °C and activation by physical, chemical, and combined methods, a series of sorbents were prepared and studied by different methods. It was determined that the sorbent KHC4-600VA obtained by combined activation of cellulose carbonizate by water vapor at 850 °C, followed by an alkaline treatment, has the best textural characteristics: S—~1200 m2·g−1, V—1.22 cm3·g−1, and R—2.05 nm. KHC4-600VA provides 90% recovery of Re (VII) ions from aqueous solutions. According to the Freundlich model, sorption proceeds favorably on the sorbent’s heterogeneous surface.