A highly efficient metal ferrocyanide adsorbent based on zinc phytate for cesium removal

Human health and sustainable development of nuclear energy pose new challenges for cesium removal. Herein, exploiting a novel metal ferrocyanides (MFCs) adsorbent is highly desirable for efficiently eliminate Cs + from contaminated water. Based on zinc phytate (Zn-PA), the newly synthesized hybrid material of ZnFC-PA exhibits top-class adsorption capacity ( q m  = 559.76 mg/g) and excellent stability in a wide range of pH. The rapid adsorption kinetics and superior selectivity in the existence of numerous competing ions confirm the outstanding performance for cesium separation. Furthermore, the adsorption performance is roughly static after several cycles, and the distribution coefficient K d still remains at a high level (3.3 × 10 4 mL/g) even in practical geothermal water. The excellent adsorption performance and reusability make it a promising Cs + adsorbent to remediate the environment.