Plasma grafting montmorillonite/iron oxide composite with β-cyclodextrin and its application for high-efficient decontamination of U(VI)

β-Cyclodextrin (CD) was grafted onto montmorillonite/iron oxides to prepare a novel magnetic CD/MMT/iron oxide composite by low-temperature plasma technology, and applied to remove U(VI) from aqueous solutions. The sorption irreversibility was attributed to inner-sphere binding of U(VI) on CD/MMT/iron oxide surface sites. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the sorption of U(VI) on CD/MMT/iron oxide was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The maximum sorption capacity of U(VI) on CD/MMT/iron oxide was considerably higher than that of U(VI) on other reported materials. The CD/MMT/iron oxide can be potentially used as a cost-effective material for the purification of actual U(VI)-bearing effluents.