Advanced lignin-derived carbon aerogel for efficient uranium removal from complex mining wastewater: adsorption performance, mechanism, and thermodynamics
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Jordan, 11942 Amman, Jordan
- 2Jordan Uranium Mining Company, Amman 11953, Jordan
- 3Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering Department, School of Applied Medical Sciences, German Jordanian University, Amman 11180, Jordan
- 4Research Group on Adsorptive and Catalytic Process Engineering (ENGEPAC), Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000-7, Santa Maria 97105–900, Brazil
- 5Universidad De La Costa, Calle 58 # 55–66, 080002 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
- 6IDITEK, Carrera 53 # 53-105, Barranquilla, Colombia
Abstract
Uranium (U) is widely used as nuclear fuel and in military applications. The expansion of uranium mining has raised serious concerns about environmental contamination and human health, necessitating appropriate remediation measures. In this study, lignin carbon aerogel (LCA) was synthesized and evaluated for uranium removal from industrial wastewater generated by uranium mining activities. Comprehensive characterization demonstrated that LCA possesses abundant oxygen-containing functional groups and a suitable surface area, both of which are favorable for U uptake. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) proved the presence of multiple competing elements in the mining waste effluent, emphasizing the complexity of the treatment matrix. PFO and PSO models represented the adsorption kinetics, indicating fast initial uptake and equilibrium attained within 10 h. Equilibrium data were best fitted by the Langmuir model, yielding a maximum adsorption capacity ( qₘ ) of 26.3 mg g −1 at pH 3.5. Uranium speciation analysis confirmed that anionic uranyl species [UO 2 (SO 4 ) 2 ] 2− and [UO 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ] 4− predominates under the investigated pH conditions. The adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. The moderate enthalpy change suggests a physisorption-dominated mechanism involving electrostatic attraction, Cation–π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and partial ionic exchange effects at the solid–liquid interface. This work demonstrates the successful conversion of raw lignin (RL) into a high-performance lignin carbon aerogel, providing an efficient and low-cost adsorbent for uranium removal from complex mining wastewater systems.
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BibTeX
@article{alshannag2026advanced,
title = {{Advanced lignin-derived carbon aerogel for efficient uranium removal from complex mining wastewater: adsorption performance, mechanism, and thermodynamics}},
author = {Mohammad Al-Shannag and Mohammad Alnaief and Ronaldo Antunes Funari and Ibrahem S. Altarawneh and Zayed Al-Hamamre and Luís F.O. Silva and Tito José Crissien and Guilherme Luiz Dotto},
journal = {Hydrometallurgy},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1016/j.hydromet.2026.106823},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2026.106823},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Advanced lignin-derived carbon aerogel for efficient uranium removal from complex mining wastewater: adsorption performance, mechanism, and thermodynamics
AU - Mohammad Al-Shannag
AU - Mohammad Alnaief
AU - Ronaldo Antunes Funari
AU - Ibrahem S. Altarawneh
AU - Zayed Al-Hamamre
AU - Luís F.O. Silva
AU - Tito José Crissien
AU - Guilherme Luiz Dotto
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Hydrometallurgy
DO - 10.1016/j.hydromet.2026.106823
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2026.106823
AB - Uranium (U) is widely used as nuclear fuel and in military applications. The expansion of uranium mining has raised serious concerns about environmental contamination and human health, necessitating appropriate remediation measures. In this study, lignin carbon aerogel (LCA) was synthesized and evaluated for uranium removal from industrial wastewater generated by uranium mining activities. Comprehensive characterization demonstrated that LCA possesses abundant oxygen-containing functional groups and a suitable surface area, both of which are favorable for U uptake. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) proved the presence of multiple competing elements in the mining waste effluent, emphasizing the complexity of the treatment matrix. PFO and PSO models represented the adsorption kinetics, indicating fast initial uptake and equilibrium attained within 10 h. Equilibrium data were best fitted by the Langmuir model, yielding a maximum adsorption capacity ( qₘ ) of 26.3 mg g −1 at pH 3.5. Uranium speciation analysis confirmed that anionic uranyl species [UO 2 (SO 4 ) 2 ] 2− and [UO 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ] 4− predominates under the investigated pH conditions. The adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. The moderate enthalpy change suggests a physisorption-dominated mechanism involving electrostatic attraction, Cation–π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and partial ionic exchange effects at the solid–liquid interface. This work demonstrates the successful conversion of raw lignin (RL) into a high-performance lignin carbon aerogel, providing an efficient and low-cost adsorbent for uranium removal from complex mining wastewater systems.
SN - 0304-386X
SN - 1879-1158
ER -