Characteristics of organic-inorganic composite sorbent prepared using lithium hydroxide and manganese oxide for recovery of lithium ions

For recovering lithium ions from aqueous solutions, organic sorbents were prepared with polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The physical properties and adsorption ability of hydrous manganese oxide (HMnO) and organic sorbents were investigated. The lithium sorption capacity of HMnO increased rapidly with an increase in solution pH. The prepared PAN/HMnO sorbent was characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and microscope observations. The specific surface areas of the sorbent with 20%, 30%, and 40% PAN content were recorded to be 25.77 m2/g, 18.36 m2/g, and 12.90 m2/g, respectively. The synthesis conditions with PAN/HMnO organic sorbent at 30% PAN content were identified to be most optimal. Further, this sorbent showed a regeneration efficiency of approximately 70%, even when it was washed 5 times with HCl solution. In general, the PAN organic sorbents with immobilized HMnO were found to be suitable for the recovery of lithium ions from water.