Phytic acid-modified waste paper-derived cellulose for lanthanum capture: fabrication concept and affinity mechanism

Selective enrichment of La(iii) by green material as an industrial raw material is of great research interest. In this study, the selective interaction between P and La(iii) was utilized, and waste paper (WP) modified with phytic acid (PA) was used to adsorb La(iii) from water using a simple one-pot method. The adsorption capacity was 237.23 mg g-1 (30 degrees C, pH = 5, initial concentration of 200 mg L-1). The equilibrium isotherm fitted the Langmuir isotherm model well. The adsorption equilibrium was reached after 15 min. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating that the adsorption mechanism of the material towards La(iii) is single-layer chemisorption. It selectively adsorbed La(iii) from four coexisting substances (Pb, Ni, Cu, and Co). After six cycles, the adsorption efficiency of the adsorbent material remained at 60%. Waste paper-derived composite adsorbents with high affinity for La(iii) capture.