Abstract
The issue of heavy metal and radionuclide contamination is still causing a great deal of concern worldwide for environmental protection and industrial sites remediation. Various techniques have been developed for surface decontamination aiming for high decontamination factors (DF) and minimal environmental impact, but strippable polymeric nanocomposite coatings are some of the best candidates in this area. In this study, novel strippable coatings for heavy metal and radionuclides decontamination were developed based on the film-forming ability of polyvinyl alcohol, with the remarkable metal retention capacity of bentonite nanoclay, together with the chelating ability of sodium alginate and with “new-generation” “green” complexing agents: iminodisuccinic acid (IDS) and 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC). These environmentally friendly water-based decontamination solutions are capable of generating strippable polymeric films with optimized mechanical and thermal properties while exhibiting high decontamination efficiency (DF ≈ 95–98% for heavy metals tested on glass surface and DF ≈ 91–97% for radionuclides 241Am, 90Sr-Y and 137Cs on metal, painted metal, plastic, and glass surfaces).
Highlights
Over the last decades, many ecosystems have been altered by human activities, causing the contamination of the environment
Scheme 1 describes contamination with cesium, because 137 Cs is one of the radionuclides investigated in this study, but it could be replaced with any other metallic contaminant
The strong interactions between the components of these materials ensure the formation of a compact polymeric nanocomposite film which maintains its integrity when it is detached from the surface
Summary
Many ecosystems have been altered by human activities, causing the contamination of the environment. As well as radioactive materials, have been extensively used in industrial applications, medicine, military activity, or various research fields. Despite strict loyalty to all laboratory safety procedures, it is still very possible to encounter heavy metal or radionuclide contamination. During the use of materials containing heavy metals or radioactive metals, various surfaces, such as concrete, steel, glass, rubber, plastic materials, or painted surfaces, from a laboratory, a shooting range [1,2], an industrial or a nuclear facility [3,4,5], can be contaminated with these hazardous materials. “Toxic metals”, including “heavy metals” or “radioactive metals”, are compounds that pose severe environmental problems, negatively affecting the health and the safety of humans at the same time. Occupational exposure to lead is one of the most widespread overexposures
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