Simultaneous removal of uranium and humic acid by cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide nanosheets

Cyclodextrin-modified graphene oxide nanosheets (denoted as CD/GO) were synthesized by an in-situ polymerization method and characterized by as well as Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and potentiometric acid-base titration. The characterization results indicated that CD was successfully grafted onto GO surfaces by forming a chemical bond. Mutual effects on the simultaneous removal of hexavalent uranium and humic acid by CD/GO from aqueous solution were investigated. The results indicated that U(VI) and humic acid (HA) sorption on CD/GO were greatly affected by pH and ionic strength. The presence of HA enhanced U(VI) sorption at low pH and reduced U(VI) sorption at high pH, whereas the presence of U(VI) enhanced HA sorption. The surface adsorbed HA acted as a “bridge” between U(VI) and CD/GO, and formed strong inner-sphere surface complexes with U(VI). Sorption isotherms of U(VI) or HA on CD/GO could be well fitted by the Langmuir model. This work highlights that CD/GO can be used as a promising material in the enrichment of U(VI) and HA from wastewater in U(VI) and humic substances obtained by environmental pollution cleanup.