Synthesis and sorption potential study of Al2O3ZrO2CeO2 composite material for removal of some radionuclides from radioactive waste effluent

M F Attallah; H S Hassan; M A Youssef

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.01.015

Synthesis and sorption potential study of Al₂O₃ZrO₂CeO₂ composite material for removal of some radionuclides from radioactive waste effluent

Appl Radiat Isot. 2019 May:147:40-47. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.01.015. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Authors

M F Attallah¹, H S Hassan², M A Youssef²

Affiliations

¹ Hot Laboratories Center, Atomic Energy Authority of Egypt, P.O. Box 13759, Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address: dr.m.f.attallah@gmail.com.
² Hot Laboratories Center, Atomic Energy Authority of Egypt, P.O. Box 13759, Cairo, Egypt.

PMID: 30798204
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.01.015

Abstract

Increasing in the use of various radioactive elements in many applications over the past few decades has accompanied with an increase radioactive waste. Therefore, preparation of Al₂O₃ZrO₂CeO₂ nanocomposite material by sol-gel polymeric method is carried out. The nanocomposite material was characterized by some analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Thermograviemtric & differential thermal analysis (TGA & DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Separation of ¹³⁴Cs and ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y as a fission product present in radioactive waste effluents using the prepared nanocomposite was investigated. The result showed that removal of 94%, 44% and 8.5% for ¹³⁴Cs, ⁹⁰Sr and ⁹⁰Y, respectively. The experimental results are fitted with pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Isotherm models of sorption process are calculated and it can be concluded that the Langmuir model more fitted than Freundlich model. The calculated thermodynamic functions exhibited that sorption behavior of ¹³⁴Cs and ⁹⁰Sr ions are spontaneous in nature and the positive value of ΔH^o value indicates that the sorption is endothermic. The results demonstrated that the % sorption of ¹³⁴Cs(I) and ⁹⁰Sr(II) is sharply decreased in the presence of coexisting ions (Na, Mg and Cr) using nanoparticles of Al₂O₃ ZrO₂CeO₂.

Keywords: Artificial radionuclides; Cesium & Strontium; Kinetic model; Nanomaterials; Removal.