Bhadane Prathmesh, Dhumal Pankti, Brun Emilie, Britton Andrew, Lynch Iseult, Chakraborty Swaroop
School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, U.K.
Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar 382355, India.
Environ Sci Technol. 2025 Aug 12;59(31):16379-16391. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5c03112. Epub 2025 Jul 31.
We report the development of CA-BNMG-1 composite beads-cellulose acetate macrobeads embedded with nanosized copper imidazolate MOFs (BNMG-1) -engineered via nonsolvent-induced phase separation for the selective recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from complex aqueous environments. This encapsulation strategy ensures uniform MOF dispersion, enhanced mechanical integrity, and minimized Cu(II) leaching (<1%), fulfilling the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) criteria. The CA matrix not only mitigates copper toxicity but also enables facile bead handling, recyclability, and scalable deployment in fixed-bed systems. Adsorption studies across a 10-REE standard solution and two simulated waste streams demonstrated significantly improved REE selectivity over pristine BNMG-1. Separation factors (SFs) for Yb(III) over Mn(II), Ni(II), and Na(I) reached 194.5, 325.8, and 339, respectively; Eu(III) showed SFs of 155.5, 260.5, and 271.2. The beads retained over 95% of their uptake capacity across multiple adsorption and single desorption cycles using mild acidic eluents, confirming excellent reusability and structural stability. This work advances a robust, low-toxicity, and scalable REE recovery platform that integrates adsorptive performance with environmental safety. CA-BNMG-1 beads offer a compelling alternative to solvent extraction, with potential for integration into circular economy strategies targeting REE recovery from e-waste, mine tailings, and industrial effluents-addressing both resource security and sustainability challenges.
我们报道了CA-BNMG-1复合微球的研发情况，即通过非溶剂诱导相分离技术制备的包裹纳米级咪唑铜金属有机框架材料（BNMG-1）的醋酸纤维素大微球，用于从复杂水环境中选择性回收稀土元素（REEs）。这种封装策略确保了金属有机框架材料的均匀分散、增强了机械完整性，并将铜（II）浸出量降至最低（<1%），符合设计安全与可持续性（SSbD）标准。醋酸纤维素基质不仅减轻了铜的毒性，还便于微球的处理、回收利用以及在固定床系统中的规模化应用。针对10种稀土元素标准溶液和两种模拟废物流的吸附研究表明，与原始BNMG-1相比，其对稀土元素的选择性有显著提高。Yb(III)对Mn(II)、Ni(II)和Na(I)的分离因子（SFs）分别达到194.5、325.8和339；Eu(III)的分离因子分别为155.5、260.5和271.2。使用温和酸性洗脱剂，这些微球在多次吸附和单次解吸循环中保留了超过95%的吸附容量，证实了其出色的可重复使用性和结构稳定性。这项工作推进了一个强大、低毒且可扩展的稀土回收平台，该平台将吸附性能与环境安全性相结合。CA-BNMG-1微球为溶剂萃取提供了一种有吸引力的替代方案，具有整合到针对从电子废物、矿山尾矿和工业废水中回收稀土元素的循环经济策略中的潜力，同时解决了资源安全和可持续性挑战。
