Oxime-functionalized metal-organic framework for efficient removal of uranium from seawater

Abstract

The abundant uranium resources in the ocean hold significant importance for alleviating the shortage of uranium resources and promoting economic and environmental protection. Hence, a novel oxime functionalized adsorbent (UiO-66-oxime) was prepared through solvothermal method. Acetic acid (AA) was also introduced as a regulator in the preparation of UiO-66-oxime, and the regulatory effect of AA on the morphology and crystal shape of UiO-66-oxime was investigated. In addition, by using the one-step post-synthetic methods (PSMs), the conversion efficiency of the functional groups is improved, the structural degradation of UiO-66-oxime during the continuous modification process is reduced and the morphological stability is greatly maintained. The adsorption process of UiO-66-oxime is highly consistent with the Langmuir isotherm adsorption model and the pseudo-second order model. Impressively, UiO-66-oxime has a huge adsorption capacity (q_m = 446.40 mg g⁻¹) and reaching the adsorption equilibrium within 30 min (C₀ = 20 mg L⁻¹), making it a promising material for uranium extraction. Overall, this work opens up new possibilities for construction of an oxime group modified metal-organic framework (MOF) adsorbent.