Ultra-efficient and selective recovery of Au(III) using magnetic Fe3S4/Fe7S8

Abstract

Gold is a highly valuable resource in our society, an efficient and selective recovery technology is necessary for gold recycling from wastes to alleviate resource shortage and environmental pollution caused by traditional mining activities. In this paper, Fe3S4/Fe7S8 materials were applied for Au(III) recovery for the first time, one of the materials showed ultra-high capacity (2020.7 mg/g). Various characterizations and adsorption tests proved its excellent properties, including high capacity and selectivity, good magnetism, low cost, and reusability. Characterization results revealed Au(III) is recovered on the adsorbents through in-situ reduction, and the reduction mechanism was studied through intensive XRD and XPS analyses. This work introduced magnetic iron sulfide materials in Au(III) recovery, and demonstrated its promising features.