Brown Algal Residue for the Recovery of Metal Ions—Application to La(III), Cd(II), and Ni(II) Sorption

Abstract Removing hazardous metals and recovering valuable strategic metals from wastewater has become an important challenge for the industry. Herein, brown algal biomass residue (AR, after bio‐stimulant extraction, currently poorly valorized) is tested for the removal of Ni(II), Cd(II), and La(III) from aqueous solutions. This valorization of industrial waste makes profit of residual amounts of alginate‐based materials, which have a strong affinity for metal cations. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques are used for characterizing metal/biosorbent interactions. Uptake kinetics are relatively fast (equilibrium being reached in 180–240 min). The Sips equation fits the sorption isotherms; the maximum sorption capacities at pH ≈5 reach up to 0.84 mmol La g⁻¹, 0.92 mmol Cd g⁻¹, and 0.78 mmol Ni g⁻¹. In binary solutions, AR shows marked preference for La(III) over divalent cations. This selectivity may be increased by complexing base metals with EDTA, opening the route for the selective recovery of rare earth elements. HCl solution reveals more efficient (>90% for La(III), ≈82% for Cd(II) and Ni(II)) than CaCl₂ solution at pH 2 for metal desorption. This waste residue from biostimulant extraction (in brown algal biomass) can be valorized for the recovery of hazardous and strategic metal ions.