Ion-exchange sorbents for precious metal recovery: Design, mechanisms, and regeneration

نویسندگان

1 Tashkent Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Technology. Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

2 Tashkent Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Technology. Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

3 Tashkent Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Technology. Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

4 Tashkent State Medical University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

5 Tashkent Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Technology. Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

6 Tashkent State Medical University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

doi
10.22034/crl.2026.573039.1779
چکیده

Recovery of precious metals (Au, Pd, Pt, Ag) from chloride- and nitrate-containing leachates, electroplating effluents, spent catalyst solutions, and electronic-waste liquors is increasingly shaped by the need for high selectivity at low concentrations, resistance to aggressive media, and sustainable regeneration. Ion-exchange and chelating sorbents bearing soft donor functionalities are particularly effective because noble metal ions commonly exist as stable chloro-complexes (e.g., [AuCl₄]⁻, [PdCl₄]²⁻, [PtCl₆]²⁻) and exhibit strong affinity toward sulfur-containing ligands. This review focuses on thiophosphonate/ thiophosphoryl-derived and (di)thiocarbamate/thiocarbamate-derived functional motifs immobilized on polymer matrices (styrene–divinylbenzene, acrylic, cellulose/chitosan derivatives) and on solvent-impregnated resins (SIRs) incorporating dithio(phosphinate/phosphate) extractants. We critically analyze design principles (matrix morphology, spacer engineering, functional group density), adsorption/ion-exchange mechanisms (outer-sphere ion exchange, inner-sphere S,S-coordination, ligand exchange, reduction–deposition pathways), kinetics/isotherms, selectivity under high chloride strength, and process-relevant regeneration schemes. Key limitations-oxidative aging of sulfur sites, diffusion constraints in macroporous beads, incomplete stripping of strongly bound Pd species, and loss of impregnated carriers-are discussed alongside emerging strategies such as covalent tethering of thiophosphoryl ligands, mixed-donor architectures, redox-tuned regeneration, and column-scale validation.