Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption Composite

Salt lake brine contains abundant rubidium resources; however, the separation of rubidium from brine with a high K content remains a significant challenge in metallurgical processes and materials science. In this study, PAN-KCuFC-PEG particles were synthesized by phase transformation, using hydrophi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Linhong Wu, Kun Zhou, Yuchen Zheng, Ying Zeng, Guangyong Zeng, Ziyi Cheng, Yang Peng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/6/1273
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849342909580574720
author Linhong Wu
Kun Zhou
Yuchen Zheng
Ying Zeng
Guangyong Zeng
Ziyi Cheng
Yang Peng
author_facet Linhong Wu
Kun Zhou
Yuchen Zheng
Ying Zeng
Guangyong Zeng
Ziyi Cheng
Yang Peng
author_sort Linhong Wu
collection DOAJ
description Salt lake brine contains abundant rubidium resources; however, the separation of rubidium from brine with a high K content remains a significant challenge in metallurgical processes and materials science. In this study, PAN-KCuFC-PEG particles were synthesized by phase transformation, using hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the skeleton structure, potassium cupric ferricyanide (KCuFC) as the active component and water-soluble polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the pore regulator. Characterization revealed that the addition of PEG increased the pore volume of PAN-KCuFC-PEG by 63% and the BET surface area by 172%. KCuFC powder was uniformly dispersed in PAN-KCuFC-PEG, and its crystal structure remained stable after loading. In static adsorption experiments, the maximum adsorption capacity of PAN-KCuFC-PEG for Rb<sup>+</sup> reached 190 mg/g. The adsorption behavior followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with the rate jointly controlled by external diffusion, intraparticle diffusion, and chemical reaction. In the column experiment, PAN-KCuFC-PEG was used to adsorb Qarhan Salt Lake brine (K: 26,000 mg/L, Rb: 65 mg/L). NH<sub>4</sub>Cl was employed for elution and desorption of PAN-KCuFC-PEG. During the adsorption–desorption process, the separation factor between Rb and K reached 160, the desorption rate reached 96.6%, and the overall yield was 68.3%. The enrichment and separation of Rb were successfully achieved.
format Article
id doaj-art-4be75ecb3ec54cab9e892c9b6267c62f
institution Kabale University
issn 1420-3049
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Molecules
spelling doaj-art-4be75ecb3ec54cab9e892c9b6267c62f2025-08-20T03:43:14ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-03-01306127310.3390/molecules30061273Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption CompositeLinhong Wu0Kun Zhou1Yuchen Zheng2Ying Zeng3Guangyong Zeng4Ziyi Cheng5Yang Peng6School of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSchool of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, ChinaSalt lake brine contains abundant rubidium resources; however, the separation of rubidium from brine with a high K content remains a significant challenge in metallurgical processes and materials science. In this study, PAN-KCuFC-PEG particles were synthesized by phase transformation, using hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the skeleton structure, potassium cupric ferricyanide (KCuFC) as the active component and water-soluble polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the pore regulator. Characterization revealed that the addition of PEG increased the pore volume of PAN-KCuFC-PEG by 63% and the BET surface area by 172%. KCuFC powder was uniformly dispersed in PAN-KCuFC-PEG, and its crystal structure remained stable after loading. In static adsorption experiments, the maximum adsorption capacity of PAN-KCuFC-PEG for Rb<sup>+</sup> reached 190 mg/g. The adsorption behavior followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with the rate jointly controlled by external diffusion, intraparticle diffusion, and chemical reaction. In the column experiment, PAN-KCuFC-PEG was used to adsorb Qarhan Salt Lake brine (K: 26,000 mg/L, Rb: 65 mg/L). NH<sub>4</sub>Cl was employed for elution and desorption of PAN-KCuFC-PEG. During the adsorption–desorption process, the separation factor between Rb and K reached 160, the desorption rate reached 96.6%, and the overall yield was 68.3%. The enrichment and separation of Rb were successfully achieved.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/6/1273salt lake brinerubidiumadsorption and purificationchromatographypolyethylene glycol
spellingShingle Linhong Wu
Kun Zhou
Yuchen Zheng
Ying Zeng
Guangyong Zeng
Ziyi Cheng
Yang Peng
Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption Composite
Molecules
salt lake brine
rubidium
adsorption and purification
chromatography
polyethylene glycol
title Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption Composite
title_full Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption Composite
title_fullStr Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption Composite
title_full_unstemmed Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption Composite
title_short Efficient Separation and Enrichment of Rubidium in Salt Lake Brine Using High-Performance PAN-KCuFC-PEG Adsorption Composite
title_sort efficient separation and enrichment of rubidium in salt lake brine using high performance pan kcufc peg adsorption composite
topic salt lake brine
rubidium
adsorption and purification
chromatography
polyethylene glycol
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/6/1273
work_keys_str_mv AT linhongwu efficientseparationandenrichmentofrubidiuminsaltlakebrineusinghighperformancepankcufcpegadsorptioncomposite
AT kunzhou efficientseparationandenrichmentofrubidiuminsaltlakebrineusinghighperformancepankcufcpegadsorptioncomposite
AT yuchenzheng efficientseparationandenrichmentofrubidiuminsaltlakebrineusinghighperformancepankcufcpegadsorptioncomposite
AT yingzeng efficientseparationandenrichmentofrubidiuminsaltlakebrineusinghighperformancepankcufcpegadsorptioncomposite
AT guangyongzeng efficientseparationandenrichmentofrubidiuminsaltlakebrineusinghighperformancepankcufcpegadsorptioncomposite
AT ziyicheng efficientseparationandenrichmentofrubidiuminsaltlakebrineusinghighperformancepankcufcpegadsorptioncomposite
AT yangpeng efficientseparationandenrichmentofrubidiuminsaltlakebrineusinghighperformancepankcufcpegadsorptioncomposite