Static and Dynamic Studies of Lanthanum(III) Ion Adsorption/desorption from Acidic Solutions Using Chelating Ion Exchangers with Different Functionalities

Increasing the number of applications of rare earth elements (REEs) has led to increased release of these metals into the environment. Removal of REEs from e-wastes is very important considering the increasing demand for these elements, the limited resource availability of them as well as the significant environmental issues. In this present study, optimization of the La(III) ions sorption from acidic solutions on chelating ion exchangers containing different functional groups, i.e. Amberlite IRC748, Purolite S930, Lewatit® Monoplus TP208, Amberlite IRC747, Purolite S940, and Purolite S950, was carried out. The sorption data was analyzed using the Lagergren pseudo-first order, Ho and McKay pseudo-second order, Weber-Morris intraparticle diffusion, Boyd kinetic models, pore and film diffusion coefficients as well as the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models. Additionally, thermodynamic parameters and regeneration abilities of chelating ion exchangers were evaluated. The maximum recovery of La(III) ions was found for HNO concentration equal to 0.2 mol/dm. The La(III) ions sorption was fast and sorption equilibrium was achieved after about 60 min. The best fitting for the lanthanum(III) ions sorption was obtained using the pseudo-second order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. Moreover, breakthrough curves were obtained from dynamic studies. The physicochemical characterization places special emphasis on determination of chemical composition of ion exchangers using ATR/FT-IR and XPS spectroscopy. Furthermore, characterization parameters of ion exchangers such as surface area and porosity (pore size), point of zero charge, and thermal stability were estimated. Chelating ion exchangers with aminophosphonic functional groups are characterized by the best adsorption properties towards La(III) ions so they could be used for the recovery of rare earth elements from spent battery solutions.