Synthesis of an activated carbon based urea formaldehyde resin and its adsorption and recognition performance towards Fe(iii)

Abstract

Rare earths are very important strategic resources. However, impurities, such as Fe(III), have great adverse impacts on the properties of rare earth materials. Therefore, the efficient and easy removal of non-rare earth impurities from rare earths is extremely important. A novel activated carbon, AC_UF700, was synthesized using a homemade urea formaldehyde resin carbonized at 700 °C. The AC_UF700 was characterized using surface area analyzer, FT-IR, elemental analysis, and SEM methods. The adsorption and recognition properties of AC_UF700 towards Fe(III) ions were studied. The BET special surface area of AC_UF700 was 702.3 cm³ g⁻¹, and the average pore diameter was 2.044 nm. AC_UF700 possesses strong adsorption affinity and excellent recognition selectivity for Fe(III). The adsorption capacity could reach 12.8 mg g⁻¹, and the relative selectivity coefficient relative to La(III) was 28.0. Besides, AC_UF700 was easily regenerated using a diluted hydrochloric acid solution as the eluent, and AC_UF700 possesses good reusability.