Preparation of CeO 2 @SiO 2 Microspheres by a Non-sintering Strategy for Highly Selective and Continuous Adsorption of Fluoride Ions from Wastewater

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High-performance composite materials with an environment-friendly and cost-effective nature are attracting much attention in environmental pollution abatement. In this study, a novel CeO 2 @SiO 2 adsorbent was prepared via a novel approach based on vacuum rotary evaporation and co-precipitation following a non-sintering strategy avoiding the application of high-temperature calcination with very simplified mechanization. The fabricated CeO 2 @SiO 2 was applied for the adsorption of F – ions from wastewater achieving much higher adsorption efficiency (257.7–363.9 mg/g (298–338 K)) than many reported adsorbents. In addition to this, CeO 2 @SiO 2 realized high selectivity for F – ions (residual concentration of less than 1.5 mg/L) under the presence of NO 3 –, SO 4 2–, and Cl – as counteranions as a simulated system. Concurrently, CeO 2 @SiO 2 adsorbents also realized excellent adsorption performance in real seawater and tap water. The used adsorbent was easily regenerated via desorption in NaOH solutions and could be reused for four consecutive cycles with minimal loss in adsorption efficiency. This study provides an alternative, promising, cost-effective, convenient, and highly efficient CeO 2 @SiO 2 microsphere adsorbent for the abatement of F – from wastewater, both in the presence and absence of counteranions.