Ion-exchange zirconium sorption by functionalized carbon nanofibers

We have studied chemical equilibrium between functionalized carbon nanofibers and an aqueous ZrOCl2 or ZrOSO4 solution and evaluated the sorption capacity of the nanofibers as a function of Zr concentration, solid: liquid (S: L) ratio, solution pH, and the degree of nanofiber functionalization. The results demonstrate that the equilibration time at S: L = 1: 10 and 1: 2 is 10 and 30 min, respectively, and that the sorption capacity increases with increasing solution pH or Zr concentration and with decreasing S: L ratio and exceeds 2.0 mg ZrO2/mg of the sorbent under certain conditions. A saturated sorbent after drying can be used to fabricate nanofiber-ZrO2 composites.