Urea-assisted vs. conventional precipitation for the synthesis of sepiolite-zirconium oxide/hydroxide composites: Influence on the physicochemical properties and phosphate adsorption

Key Points

• Phosphate adsorption is significantly improved with urea-assisted precipitation, indicating better efficiency.
• Adsorption capacity increased by nearly 30% when using urea compared to conventional methods in controlled tests.
• Analysis of synthesized composites showed notable changes in physicochemical properties post-precipitation.
• These findings underline the potential for urea-assisted methods to enhance environmental applications of sepiolite-based materials.