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Online recovery of radiocesium from soil, cellulose and plant samples by supercritical fluid extraction employing crown ethers and calix-crown derivatives as extractants

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Abstract

Two crown ethers (CEs) viz. dibenzo18crown6, and dibenzo12crown7 and three calix-crown derivatives viz. (octyloxy)calix[4]arene-mono-crown-6 (CMC), calix[4]arene-bis(o-benzocrown-6) (CBC), and calix[4]arene-bis(naphthocrown-6) (CNC) were evaluated for the recovery of 137Cs from synthetic soil, cellulose (tissue paper), and plant samples by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) route. CEs showed poor extraction of 137Cs from soil matrix. SFE experiments using 1 × 10−3 M solutions of CMC, CBC and CNC in acetonitrile at 3 M HNO3 as modifiers displayed better extraction of 137Cs, viz. 21(±2) % (CMC), 16.5(±3) % (CBC), and 4(±1) % (CNC). It was not possible to recover 137Cs quantitatively from soil matrix. The inefficient extraction of 137Cs from soil matrix was attributed to its incorporation into the interstitial sites. Experiments on tissue papers using CMC showed near quantitative 137Cs recovery. On the other hand, recovery from plant samples varied between 50(±5) % (for stems) and 75(±5) % (for leaves).

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Acknowledgments

Authors thank Dr. A. Goswami, Head, Radiochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai for his keen interest in this work. They are also thankful to Dr. N. L. Misra, Fuel Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai for the analysis of soil by XRD and EDXRF techniques.

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  1. Radiochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400 085, India

    A. S. Kanekar, P. N. Pathak & P. K. Mohapatra

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  1. A. S. Kanekar
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Correspondence to P. N. Pathak.

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Kanekar, A.S., Pathak, P.N. & Mohapatra, P.K. Online recovery of radiocesium from soil, cellulose and plant samples by supercritical fluid extraction employing crown ethers and calix-crown derivatives as extractants. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 300, 1281–1289 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-014-3034-0

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