Novel Adsorbent Used for Cesium Removal from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

Cesium (Cs) removal from wastewater becomes an emerging issue after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster. Cs(I) is an metal ion present in high level radioactive waste and has to be removed for a better disposal in geological formation. The present study investigates the adsorption process of Cs(I) from aqueous solutions on an novel adsorbent material. The novelty of this material is that the solid support, magnesium silicate, is doped with a new extractant, thiourea dissolved in ethyl alcohol. In order to establish the adsorption capacities of the adsorbent material, it was used in the removal process of metal ions. Kinetically, the adsorption process of this metal ion has the best fit for the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The removal process through adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous due to the thermodynamic studies. Equilibrium studies were also carried out for the Langmuir, Freundlich and Sips model. The new doped material proves to be favourable as adsorbent material in the removal of Cs(I) from polluted water.