Novel fungus–titanate bio-nanocomposites as high performance adsorbents for the efficient removal of radioactive ions from wastewater

Abstract

Reclaimable adsorbents have a critical application in the adsorption of radioactive materials. In this study, the novel bio-nanocomposites comprising fungi and titanate nanotubes are successfully synthesized by a simple and low-cost method. Morphological characterizations and composite mechanism analysis confirm that the composites are sufficiently stable to avoid dust pollution resulting from the titanate nanomaterials. Adsorption experiments demonstrate that the bio-nanocomposites are efficient adsorbents with a saturated sorption capacity as high as 120 mg g⁻¹ (1.75 meq. g⁻¹) for Ba²⁺ ions. The results suggest that the bio-nanocomposites can be used as promising radioactive adsorbents for removing radioactive ions from water caused by nuclear leakage.