Immobilization of uranium by biomaterial stabilized FeS nanoparticles: Effects of stabilizer and enrichment mechanism

Abstract Iron sulfide (FeS) nanoparticles have been recognized as effective scavengers for multi-valent metal ions. However, the aggregation of FeS nanoparticles in aqueous solution greatly restricts their application in real work. Herein, different biomaterial-FeS nanoparticles were developed for the in-situ immobilization of uranium(VI) in radioactive waste management. TEM images suggested that sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and gelatin can effectively suppress the aggregation of FeS nanoparticles in aqueous solutions. The resulting CMC–FeS and gelatin–FeS were stable in aqueous solutions and showed high adsorption capacity for U(VI). Specially, gelatin–FeS showed the best performance in U(VI) adsorption–reduction immobilization under experimental conditions. The maximum enrichment capacity of U(VI) on CMC–FeS and gelatin–FeS at pH 5.0 and 20 °C achieved to ∼430 and ∼556 mg/g, respectively. Additionally, gelatin–FeS and CMC–FeS nanoparticles presented excellent tolerance to environmental salinity. The immobilized U(VI) on the surfaces of CMC–FeS and gelatin–FeS remained stable more than one year. These findings highlight the possibility of using ggelatin–FeS for efficient immobilization of U(VI) from radioactive wastewater.