A porous
adsorbent was prepared from leather waste by activation with alkali.
The adsorbent, alkali-activated leather waste (AALW), was applied
to adsorb uranium(VI) and characterized by scanning electron microscopy,
energy-dispersive X-ray detection, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The influence of the pH, initial
uranium(VI) concentration, temperature, and contact time on the adsorption
of uranium(VI) was systematically investigated. The adsorption of
uranium(VI) on AALW obeyed the Langmuir isotherm model and was attributed
to ion exchange and complexation coordination. Thermodynamic and kinetic
studies showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic,
and it reached adsorption equilibrium in 360 min. Moreover, the selective
adsorption of uranium(VI) from an aqueous solution containing coexisting
ions and adsorption of trace uranium(VI) from a simulated high-salinity
environment showed that AALW had not only a strong affinity but a
high selectivity for uranium(VI).