Efficient removal of uranium (VI) from environmental water samples by cyclodextrin-intercalated layered double hydroxide-coated magnetic nanoparticles

This manuscript describes the successful synthesis of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated with β-cyclodextrin-intercalated layered double hydroxide, which were utilized to remove Uranium (VI) from an aqueous solution effectively. The newly developed nano-adsorbent underwent thorough analysis through advanced techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Through the utilization of a one-variable-at-a-time strategy, we effectively enhanced the removal process by optimizing key factors such as the sample's pH and the amount of adsorbent utilized. These adjustments proved crucial in achieving utmost success. The adsorption mechanism was identified by plotting Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Under the optimized conditions, the removal efficiency of as high as 96.21%, as well as the adsorption capacity of 461.89 mg g^{- 1}, were obtained showing the desirable performance of the synthesized nano-adsorbent in Uranium (VI) removal from aqueous solutions. The selectivity of the adsorbent was evaluated by calculating distribution coefficients for Uranium (VI) and some interfering ions. The applicability of the adsorbent was tested by removing uranium (VI) from diverse complex environmental water samples. As a result of the removal efficiencies exceeding 92.76% with relative standard deviations (RSDs%) below 6.73%, the synthesized adsorbent can successfully remove Uranium (VI) from complex real samples with acceptable precisions.