The use of composite ferrocyanide materials for treatment of high salinity liquid radioactive wastes rich in cesium isotopes

Abstract

The use of composite materials based on metal ferrocyanides combined with natural mineral sorbents for treatment of high salinity Cs-containing liquid radioactive waste (LRW) was investigated. The study indicated that among the investigated composites, the best sorption characteristics for Cs were shown by materials based on copper ferrocyanide. Several factors affecting the removal of cesium from LRW, namely total salt content, pH and organic matter content, were also investigated. High concentrations of complexing organic matter significantly reduced the sorption capacity of ferrocyanide sorbents

Synthesis and Investigation of the Properties of Biphasic Hybrid Composites Based on Bentonite, Copper Hexacyanoferrate, Acrylamide and Acrylic Acid Hydrogel

“…As revealed from Table 4 , the distribution coefficient of RN, especially for cesium to the unmodified mineral sorbent, did not exceed ~30.0 mL·g −1 and was two orders of magnitude lower than that of the hybrid composite containing copper hexaferrocyanide. These data are in good agreement with the literature data [ 3 , 60 , 61 ]. The distribution coefficient of radionuclides for percolated sorbents decreased in the series 134 Cs + , 137 Cs + , 60 Co 2+ , 57 Co 2+ , and 85 Sr 2+ .…”

“…As revealed from Table 4, the distribution coefficient of RN, especially for cesium to the unmodified mineral sorbent, did not exceed ~30.0 mL•g −1 and was two orders of magnitude lower than that of the hybrid composite containing copper hexaferrocyanide. These data are in good agreement with the literature data [3,60,61]. The distribution coefficient of that of alkali-earth iron due to the additional donor-acceptor bond between the electrondonating functional groups of polymeric matrix (-COOH and -NH 2 C=O) and d-electron orbitals of Co 2+ .…”

“…In general, such radioactive waste contains a variety of radionuclides that are fission byproducts resulting from the above processes. There is a need for materials and processes capable of recovering radionuclides from low-metal-concentration solutions containing, in some cases, high salt levels (for example, sea water or alkaline solutions) [ 3 ]. Waste storage tanks currently provide a stable repository for LRW, but high salt content can in the long term corrode the tank structural materials, and this poses serious potential environmental risks near these facilities.…”