Synthesis of RGO/CF/PANI Magnetic Composites for Effective Adsorption of Uranium

In this paper, adsorbents composed of reduced graphene oxide-CoFe2O4 ferrite-polyaniline (RGO/CF/PANI) nanocomposites have been synthesized by different techniques, namely, hydrothermal, graphite exfoliation, reduction, and polymerization. The adsorbents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The adsorption of uranium (VI) could be well described by the Langmuir and the pseudosecond-order models. The highest adsorption capacity of the composites for uranium (VI) was evaluated to be 2430 mg/g at pH = 5 and 25 °C. The uranium loaded RGO/CF/PANI could be readily separated from aqueous solutions by an external magnetic field. This paper demonstrates an efficient and convenient approach for the adsorption of uranium (VI) from aqueous solutions.