Construction of mesoporous Si-Fe-GO composite for the highly efficient removal of uranium

The mesoporous Si-Fe-GO composite was prepared by sol–gel method to remove uranium. In the static adsorption process, the Si-Fe-GO composite possessed strong uranium-chelating ability with fast uranium adsorption kinetic (120 min) and high uranium adsorption capacity (576.4 mg/g). The adsorption behavior perfectly followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models, revealing the nature of monolayer chemical adsorption. The tolerance experiments of coexisting ions showed that the Si-Fe-GO composite possessed a strong affinity for uranium, which was beneficial for the enrichment of uranium in a multi-component wastewater system. The good regeneration ability also reflected the practical application value of the Si-Fe-GO composite. Besides, the dynamic adsorption studies showed that the Si-Fe-GO composite might be suitable for the remediation of uranium-containing wastewater with low flow rate and low uranium concentration. In conclusion, this work would contribute to the development of functional SiO 2 materials for water remediation and meet the practical requirements for the cleanup of uranium from wastewater.