HTO/Cellulose Aerogel for Rapid and Highly Selective Li(+) Recovery from Seawater

To achieve rapid and highly efficient recovery of Li(+) from seawater, a series of H(2)TiO(3)/cellulose aerogels (HTO/CA) with a porous network were prepared by a simple and effective method. The as-prepared HTO/CA were characterized and their Li(+) adsorption performance was evaluated. The obtained results revealed that the maximum capacity of HTO/CA to adsorb Li(+) was 28.58 ± 0.71 mg g(−1). The dynamic k(2) value indicated that the Li(+) adsorption rate of HTO/CA was nearly five times that of HTO powder. Furthermore, the aerogel retained extremely high Li(+) selectivity compared with Mg(2+), Ca(2+), K(+), and Na(+). After regeneration for five cycles, the HTO/CA retained a Li(+) adsorption capacity of 22.95 mg g(−1). Moreover, the HTO/CA showed an excellent adsorption efficiency of 69.93% ± 0.04% and high selectivity to Li(+) in actual seawater. These findings confirm its potential as an adsorbent for recovering Li(+) from seawater.