Wei Liu, Xian Wu, Jianyun Liu, Fanghai Lu, Yang Li, Shikui Jia, Lihua Xiao
To obtain rare dispersed metals, a nanoporous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) adsorbent was synthesized through an interfacial assembly strategy of emulsion-polymerized nanospheres. Then, the hydroxamic acid functionalization was induced by a one-step post-synthesis. The novel adsorbent achieved the highly efficient and selective recovery of gallium and vanadium from Bayer liquor to address critical supply chain challenges and secure sustainable resource availability by simultaneously increasing accessible adsorption sites and functional group contents. Compared with traditional adsorbents, the diffusion of Bayer liquor into the adsorbent was enhanced via the nanosized porous structure (24 nm), and it exhibited high equilibrium capacities cyclic stability, alkali resistance, and excellent adsorption performance in real Bayer liquor. Notably, the unique structure of the PMMA adsorbent is a promising candidate for large-scale metal extraction to meet the growing demand for gallium and vanadium.