This study proposes the use of a cobalt-based Prussian blue analogue (Co-PBA; potassium cobalt hexacyanoferrate), as an adsorbent for the cost-effective recovery of aqueous ammonium ions. The characterization of Co-PBA involved various techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis, and zeta potential. The prepared Co-PBA reached an adsorption equilibrium for ammonium ions within approximately 480 min, which involved both surface adsorption and subsequent diffusion into the interior. The isotherm experiment revealed a maximum adsorption capacity of 37.29 mg/g, with the Langmuir model indicating a predominance of chemical monolayer adsorption. Furthermore, the material consistently demonstrated adsorption efficiency across a range of pH conditions. Notably, adsorption was observed even when competing cations were present. Co-PBA emerges as a readily synthesized adsorbent, underscoring its efficacy in ammonium removal and selectivity toward ammonium.

Transition metal chalcogenides are promising cathode materials for next-generation battery systems, particularly sodium-ion batteries. Ni3Co6S8-pitch-derived carbon composite microspheres with a yolk-shell structure (Ni3Co6S8@C-YS) were synthesized through a three-step process: spray pyrolysis, pitch coating, and post-heat treatment process. Ni3Co6S8@C-YS exhibited an impressive reversible capacity of 525.2 mA h g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1 over 50 cycles when employed as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries. However, Ni3Co6S8 yolk shell nanopowder (Ni3Co6S8-YS) without pitch-derived carbon demonstrated a continuous decrease in capacity during charging and discharging. The superior sodium-ion storage properties of Ni3Co6S8@C-YS were attributed to the pitchderived carbon, which effectively adjusted the size and distribution of nanocrystals. The carbon-coated yolk-shell microspheres proposed here hold potential for various metal chalcogenide compounds and can be applied to various fields, including the energy storage field.

In this study, zeolitic materials were synthesized from Jeju Volcanic Rocks (JVR) using a fusion/hydrothermal method at NaOH/JVR ratios of 0.6 and 1.2. The crystallinities of the zeolitic materials at NaOH/JVR ratios of 0.6 and 1.2 were 25.5% and 59.0%, respectively. It was confirmed through the SEM image that the zeolitic materials covered the zeolite particle with a cube-shaped crystals. The Co ions adsorption by the zeolitic materials were to reach the adsorption equilibrium at 120 min. It could be better simulated in the pseudo-second order adsorption kinetic equation than in the pseudo-first order adsorption kinetic equation. The adsorption capacities (qm) of Co ions could be to estimate Langmuir isotherm better than Freundlich isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacities (qm) at NaOH/JVR ratios of 0.6 and 1.2 were 55.3 mg/g and 68.7 mg/g, respectively. It was found that there was a high correlation between the crystallinity of zeolitic materials and the adsorption capacity of Co ions adsorption.