Abstract
Adsorption offers an efficient and eco-friendly method for the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs). However, it is not well known that most adsorbents are not eco-friendly. Rational design of next generation adsorbents should aim to enhance their green properties. In this work, sepiolite, Fe3O4 and itaconic acid were selected as the green raw materials. Poly(itaconic acid)/magnetite sepiolite composite (PIA/MSEP) was prepared using water as the solvent under mild reaction conditions and the entire process uses neither the bulk use of toxic organic solvents nor the addition of dangerous strong acid or alkali. The results indicate that PIA/MSEP has satisfactory maximum adsorption capacities of 178.57, 151.52 and 106.38 mg·g−1 for Er3+, Nd3+ and Ce3+, respectively, with excellent regeneration stability. The PIA/MSEP exhibits outstanding adsorption rates that provide above 90% capacity within 10 min for Er3+ and Nd3+. This versatile material is a potential candidate for applications in the removal of REEs.