Adsorptive removal of strontium ions from aqueous solution by graphene oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared, characterized, and applied for adsorption of Sr(II) in aqueous solution. The adsorption capacity was calculated to be 137.80 mg/g according to the Langmuir model. The observation by scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the crystal structure of Sr compound on the surface of graphene sheets. The analyses by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated the involvement of O–C=O, C–O, and C–O–C groups during the adsorption. The X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis provided the detail information of GO-Sr composites, and the fitting results were given by Sr(HCOO)2 and SrCO3 model, and the coordination numbers (CN) and interatomic distances (R) of Sr–O shell and Sr–C shell were calculated. The adsorption mechanism of Sr(II) was attributed to complexation between Sr and the acidic oxygen-containing groups, which lead to the agglomeration of graphene oxide. Two types of crystals were proposed. Type 1 was formed by coordination between Sr(II) and O–C=O groups, and type 2 was formed by coordination between Sr(II) and C–O/C–O–C groups.