Abstract
In this study, batch adsorption experiments were investigated to remove the radioactive isotope Cs-137 from the real radioactive wastewater resulting from the 1990 Gulf War. The natural clay minerals (i.e., bentonite, attapulgite, and kaolinite) that had been deposited in the Western Desert of Iraq were adopted as an adsorbent to reduce the risks of radioactive pollution. The three clay minerals were characterized using chemical compositions analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The adsorption equilibrium could be reached after 2 h with a Cs-137 removal efficiency of 98, 97, and 75% for bentonite, attapulgite, and kaolinite, respectively. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model produced an excellent fit with the experimental kinetic data for bentonite. Accordingly, bentonite was recognized as the best media to be adsorbent. The three chosen adsorbents were shown to be promising materials for the removal of the radioactive isotope Cs-137 because they are low cost, available, and effective adsorbent materials.
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