Removal of Eu3+ from simulated aqueous solutions by synthesis of a new composite adsorbent material

• Published in: Applied radiation and isotopes Vol. 191; p. 110543
• Main Authors: Helal, Aly A., Breky, Mohamed M.E., Allan, Karam F., Attallah, Mohamed F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Composite adsorbent; Fission products; Nuclear waste; Radioactive liquid waste; Radionuclides; sorption; Fission products; Radionuclides; sorption; Composite adsorbent; Radioactive liquid waste; Nuclear waste
• ISSN: 0969-8043; 1872-9800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110543

The goal of this research is to separate and purify 152+154Eu generated from nuclear waste and/or research laboratories using synthesized composite material. Fourier infrared (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements were used to characterize the composite material. On the 152+154Eu sorption process, the impacts of pH, contact time, and initial feed concentration were also examined. The best 152+154Eu removal efficiency was 86.4% achieved at pH 4.5 and 180 min. The sorption data of 152+154Eu ions were investigated using kinetic modeling and sorption isotherm models, and it was clear that the pseudo second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm are the best matches for the sorption process. The produced adsorbent capacity was 11.48 mg g−1. Application study demonstrated that the removal efficiency (%) reached 92.4, 92.2 and 95.2% of 152+154Eu (carrier free) from river, tab and groundwater, respectively. According to the findings of this investigation, the proposed polymer composite is a strong candidate for recovering radioactive 152+154Eu ions from liquid waste. Schematic diagram showing the synthesis of poly (AA-AM)/ZrW. [Display omitted] •Poly [acrylic acid-acrylamide]-microparticle of ZrW as novel composite was synthesized using induced γ-irradiation.•Novel poly[AAAM]-ZrW composite was characterized using numerous analytical techniques.•The prepared composite polymer was applied for removal of 152+154Eu.•Application of novel composite polymer on wastewater treatment and radioactive liquid waste treatment was tested.