Investigation of the iridium adsorption process with functionalized magnetic nanoparticles using triisobutylphosphine sulfide extractors

In this research work, the adsorption process of iridium using magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with Cyanex 471X has been investigated. In this regard, parameters affecting the adsorption process such as pH, initial concentration of iridium ions, contact time and adsorbent dosage were assessed. According to the results, pH 6, adsorbent dosage 1.2 g/L, initial concentration of iridium of 10 mg/L, and contact time of 10 min were selected as optimal conditions for iridium adsorption by this synthesized magnetic nanosorbent. The kinetics of the adsorption process was studied, and it was found that the adsorption reaction follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with the correlation coefficient of 0.9960. Also, experimental studies indicated that the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model best matches the experimental data (R² = 0.9961). The maximum adsorption capacity of the nanosorbent for iridium adsorption was estimated to be 35.34 mg/g by the Langmuir isotherm. With the thermodynamic analysis of the adsorption process, it was found that this process is endothermic and spontaneous. In addition, in the investigation of iridium adsorption and desorption, HCl/HNO₃ solution with a concentration of 1.5 M was selected as suitable eluent.