Selective and efficient removal of sulfate from aqueous solution having a high concentration of other competing ions is an important aspect of separation science technology and has attracted considerable attention from researchers to develop molecular systems to achieve this challenging goal. Selective sulfate separation from aqueous nuclear waste media with a high nitrate concentration and seawater with a high chloride concentration are the two main objectives to be accomplished along this line. Nuclear power plant-generated radioactive waste disposal and highly effective membrane-based seawater desalination processes require prior removal of corrosion-inducing hydrophilic sulfate ions from the aqueous media to avoid possible environmental risks and membrane blockage, respectively. Further, sulfate removal from highly acidic wastewater discharged from mining and metallurgical industrial operations needs to be seriously addressed to avoid irreversible damage to the aquatic environment. Therefore, to achieve selective sulfate separation from water, several hydrogen bond donor (HBD) macrocyclic and acyclic anion receptors having higher binding affinity for sulfate over other anions have been synthesized. The sulfate removal efficacy of anion receptors has been demonstrated by the industrially applicable liquid–liquid (solvent) extraction method and proof of concept technique involving the selective crystallization (precipitation) of a receptor–sulfate complex from aqueous solution. In this review, we provide the detailed development of sulfate-selective synthetic receptors and their application in effective sulfate separation from simulated wastewater media and seawater. Since the pioneering paper by Sessler and Moyer et al. (2007), significant progress has been made in this field, which needs to be thoroughly assessed and understood to deliver suitable chemical technology for selective sulfate separation.

中文翻译：

---

从竞争性酸性和碱性水介质中选择性分离硫酸盐的分子设计方法

从具有高浓度其他竞争离子的水溶液中选择性且有效地去除硫酸盐是分离科学技术的一个重要方面，并引起了研究人员的极大关注，以开发分子系统来实现这一具有挑战性的目标。从具有高硝酸盐浓度的水性核废料介质和具有高氯化物浓度的海水中选择性分离硫酸盐是沿着这条线要实现的两个主要目标。核电厂产生的放射性废物处理和高效的基于膜的海水淡化工艺需要事先从水介质中去除引起腐蚀的亲水硫酸根离子，以避免可能的环境风险和膜堵塞。此外，需要认真解决采矿和冶金工业作业排放的高酸性废水中硫酸盐的去除问题，以避免对水环境造成不可逆转的损害。因此，为了实现硫酸根与水的选择性分离，已经合成了几种对硫酸根比其他阴离子具有更高结合亲和力的氢键供体（HBD）大环和无环阴离子受体。工业上适用的液-液（溶剂）萃取方法和涉及从水溶液中选择性结晶（沉淀）受体-硫酸盐复合物的概念验证技术证明了阴离子受体的硫酸盐去除功效。在这篇综述中，我们提供了硫酸盐选择性合成受体的详细开发及其在从模拟废水介质和海水中有效分离硫酸盐中的应用。自从 Sessler 和 Moyer等人发表开创性论文以来。 (2007)，该领域已取得重大进展，需要对其进行彻底评估和理解，以提供适合选择性硫酸盐分离的化学技术。