Leveraging Hard–Soft Acid–Base Interactions for Effective Palladium Capture in Acidic Solutions

Demand for palladium is increasing as it is a precious metal with great industrial applications. In order to meet the potential challenges posed by limited terrestrial Pd resources, it is necessary to develop low-cost and efficient Pd enrichment materials and methods. Palladium is found in significant quantities in spent fuel as a fission product, making it highly valuable for recycling. However, the selective capture of Pd2+ ions from highly acidic radioactive liquid wastes, with complex compositions generated from spent fuel reprocessing, remains a challenge. Leveraging the intrinsic bonding selectivities associated with hard–soft acid–base (HSAB) theory we present, the rapid and highly selective capture of Pd2+ ions from strongly acidic solutions has been achieved by the layered potassium thiostannate K2xSn4–xS8–x (KTS-3). The maximum sorption capacity was calculated to be 397 and 162 mg of Pd2+/g of KTS-3 in 1 and 3 M HNO3 solutions, respectively. In 1 M HNO3 solutions with initial Pd2+ concentrations of 1.02 and 260 mg/L, the sorption of Pd2+ by KTS-3 reaches equilibrium within 2 and 30 min, respectively, with removal rates of more than 99.9%. KTS-3 can effectively and selectively remove Pd2+ from mixtures containing Ag+ or Pt2+, although they also represent soft Lewis acids and pose strong competition with Pd2+ for binding to the soft base S2– sites of the framework. Moreover, KTS-3 can effectively separate Pd2+/Mn+ (Mn+ = Na+, Cs+, Sr2+, Eu3+, Zr4+, Ni2+, and Co2+) in acidic solutions and shows excellent selective capture of Pd2+ even in simulated high-level liquid wastes. The outstanding Pd2+ sorption by KTS-3, showcasing a record-breaking capacity and selectivity, is attributed to the synergistic effect of the easily exchangeable K+ cations and the strong HSAB affinity of the S2– active sites for Pd2+ ions. This is achieved under extremely acidic conditions, which coupled with its structural integrity and effectiveness even post γ-irradiation, positions it as a promising material for palladium capture and recovery, especially in the treatment of radioactive waste.