Abstract-The effect of single-charged cations (Na + , K + , NH 4 + ) on the cesium sorption with mixed nickel potassium ferrocyanide sorbent based on hydrated TiO 2 was studied. The K + and Na + ions exert no effect at their concentrations of up to 0.5 M; the Cs + distribution coefficients from KCl and NaCl solutions are (1.1 ± 0.5) × 10 5 and (8 ± 3) × 10 4 mL g -1, respectively. The sorbent is highly specific to Cs + in the presence of ammonium ions. The sorption mechanisms were studied. The concentration ranges in which Cs + and NH 4 + are sorbed by independent mechanisms (Cs + , by the ferrocyanide phase; NH 4 + , by the phase of hydrated TiO 2 ) and in which the Cs + distribution coefficient decreases owing to competitive filling of the ferrocyanide phase with ammonium ions were determined. At cesium concentrations in solution exceeding 50 mg L -1 , Cs + and NH 4 + are absorbed jointly owing to coprecipitation in the mixed ferrocyanide phase in the pore space of the sorbent.
Keywords: sorption, cesium, ferrocyanide, specificity, selectivity, mechanismOne of the objectives of modern chemical technology is preparation of selective sorbents capable to recover microcomponents from multicomponent salt solutions (natural or artificial) with the aim, on the one hand, to concentrate and subsequently use the valuable components of the solution and, on the other hand, e.g., to purify natural waters to the environmentally safe level without affecting their salt composition. This problem is also topical for radiochemical technology, namely, for treatment of highly saline liquid radioactive wastes and for recovery of useful individual radionuclides from multicomponent solutions. Therefore, study of the selectivity of the radionuclide sorption is of interest for the development of new sorbents.The best sorbents for cesium recovery are transition metal ferrocyanides [1]. Their selectivity was studied in numerous works [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Milyutin [9] reported the separation factors of the Cs + -Н + , Cs + -Na + , Cs + -Cа 2+ , and Cs + -Мg 2+ pairs for a wide range of inorganic sorbents including several kinds of ferrocyanides. It was shown that the Cs + sorption with transition metal ferrocyanides is not quite selective and that the selectivity of ferrocyanide sorbents depends on the procedure of their preparation (precipitation followed by granulation, impregnation, preparation of composite sorbents, chemical deposition onto a support). The majority of published papers dealt with the Cs + sorption from solutions containing Na + ions. Data on the selectivity of the Cs + sorption with ferrocyanides in the presence of K + and NH 4 + ions are virtually lacking, despite the fact that specifically these ions will exert the strongest effect on the Cs + sorption because of the closeness of their ionic radii to that of Cs + . The affinity series for ferrocyanides can be presented as Na + < K + < NH 4 + .This study deals with the influence of the K + , Na + , and NH 4 + concentrations on the sorption of Cs + with mixed nickel...