Mild hydrothermally treated brewer's spent grain for efficient removal of uranyl and rare earth metal ions

C CP/MAS NMR, SEM-EDX and STA-GC-MS analysis were performed to characterize the obtained material and to disclose the adsorption mechanisms. Aside from oxygen-containing functional groups, nitrogen-containing functional groups also contribute to the adsorption. These results strongly indicate that mild hydrothermal treatment of BSG could be applied as a greener, low-cost method to produce effective adsorbents for uranyl and rare earth metal ion removal.