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Adsorption techniques for decontaminating liquid radioactive waste and radionuclide-contaminated natural water

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The paper reviews the adsorption methods used for decontaminating liquid radioactive waste (LRW) and radioactive-contaminated natural water of different origins from radionuclides. The primary attention is paid to the sorption of long-lived cesium and strontium radionuclides, which, besides the high radiotoxicity, in most cases define the overall activity of radioactive waste. A standard technique was developed for evaluating the efficiency of various sorption materials in relation to cesium and strontium radionuclides by determining the distribution coefficient (Kd) values of tracer 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides in solutions of sodium and calcium salts, the essential bulk components of LRW, and natural water. The results showed that natural aluminosilicate sorbents, zeolites, zirconium phosphate, and ferrocyanide sorbents could effectively remove 137Cs from low-salt solutions. The sorbent based on manganese (III, IV) oxyhydrate exhibited the highest selectivity to strontium. A correlation between the crystalline and porous structure of the sorbents and the selectivity to cesium and strontium radionuclides was shown. The results obtained provide an adequate choice of the most effective sorbents for the decontamination of radioactively contaminated natural water and technogenic liquid waste from cesium and strontium radionuclides.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences. No specific funding or grant was received to assist in conducting this study and preparing this manuscript.

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  1. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPCE RAS), Bld. 4, 31 Leninsky Prospect, Moscow, Russia, 119071

    Vitaly V. Milyutin, Natalya A. Nekrasova, Victor O. Kaptakov & Evgeny A. Kozlitin

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  1. Vitaly V. Milyutin
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  2. Natalya A. Nekrasova
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VVM: the idea, supervision, conceptualization, methodology, data analysis, writing—original draft. NAN: investigation, literature search, data analysis, writing—original draft. VOK: investigation, literature search. EAK: resources, writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Evgeny A. Kozlitin.

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Milyutin, V.V., Nekrasova, N.A., Kaptakov, V.O. et al. Adsorption techniques for decontaminating liquid radioactive waste and radionuclide-contaminated natural water. Adsorption 29, 323–334 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-023-00407-w

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