The demand for new renewable energy sources, improved energy storage and exhaust-free transportation requires the use of large quantities of rare earth (REE) and late transition (LTM, group 8–12) elements. In order to achieve sustainability in their use, an efficient green recycling technology is required. Here, an approach, a synthetic route and an evaluation of the designed bio-based material are reported. Cotton-derived nano cellulose particles were functionalized with a polyamino ligand, tris(2-aminoethyl) amine (TAEA), achieving ligand content of up to ca. 0.8 mmol g⁻¹. The morphology and structure of the produced adsorbent were revealed by PXRD, SEM-EDS, AFM and FTIR techniques. The adsorption capacity and kinetics of REE and LTM were investigated by conductometric photometric titrations, revealing quick uptake, high adsorption capacity and pronounced selectivity for LTM compared to REE. Molecular insights into the mode of action of the adsorbent were obtained via the investigation of the molecular structure of the Ni(II)–TAEA complex by an X-ray single crystal study. The bio-based adsorbent nanomaterial demonstrated in this work opens up a perspective for tailoring specific adsorbents in the sequestration of REE and LTM for their sustainable recycling.

中文翻译：

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定制用于封存后过渡元素和稀土元素的生物基吸附剂

对新的可再生能源、改进的能源储存和无排放运输的需求需要使用大量的稀土 (REE) 和晚期过渡元素（LTM，第 8-12 族）元素。为了实现其使用的可持续性，需要高效的绿色回收技术。在此，报告了一种方法、合成路线和对设计的生物基材料的评估。源自棉花的纳米纤维素颗粒用聚氨基配体三（2-氨基乙基）胺（TAEA）进行功能化，配体含量高达ca。0.8 毫摩尔克^-1. 通过 PXRD、SEM-EDS、AFM 和 FTIR 技术揭示了所产生吸附剂的形态和结构。通过电导光度滴定法研究了 REE 和 LTM 的吸附容量和动力学，表明与 REE 相比，LTM 具有快速吸收、高吸附容量和明显的选择性。通过X 射线单晶研究研究Ni( II )-TAEA 络合物的分子结构，获得了对吸附剂作用模式的分子洞察。这项工作中展示的生物基吸附剂纳米材料为定制特定吸附剂以封存 REE 和 LTM 以实现可持续回收开辟了前景。