Preparation and characterization of imprinted bacterial cellulose aerogel for efficient recovery of Er(III) from end-of-life erbium-doped fibers

Abstract Selective recovery of high value rare earth elements from end-of-life rare earth products is an economical and environmental measure. In this study, we used bio-based material (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy-mediated bacterial cellulose) as the substrate material to construct a highly elastic imprinted bacterial cellulose aerogel (BCP-I) in synergy with chitosan (CS) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) for highly selective adsorption Er(III). CS and PEI contain abundant functional monomers, which can cooperate with bacterial cellulose and Er(III) to construct more imprinting sites, which not only improves the adsorption performance of BCP-I, but also makes the aerogel more stable. In order to analyze physical and chemical properties of aerogels, it was characterized by scanning electron microscope, fourier transform infrared spectrometer and thermogravimetric analysis. Adsorption experiments showed that BCP-I had a good adsorption effect on Er(III), and the maximum adsorption capacity could reach 95.99 mg g− 1. Cyclic experiments show that the adsorption property of BCP-I is still in good condition. All in all, BCP-I with environment-friendliness, high selectivity and good reproducibility is a good choice for recovery of Er(III).