Enhanced removal of radioactive iodine anions from wastewater using modified bentonite: Experimental and theoretical study

Efficient uptake of 85Sr and 60Co using fabricated inorganic sorbent for reducing radiation doses of simulated low-level waste

The present study investigated the sorption behavior of 85Sr and 60Co radionuclides from aqueous solutions onto tin molybdate (SnMo) sorbent. SnMo has been synthesized using the precipitation method and was characterized using four analytical techniques including FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and XRF. The sorption studies applied on 85Sr and 60Co include the effect of shaking time, pH, concentration, and saturation capacity. The experimental data revealed that the sorption process was carried out after equilibrium time (180 min). The saturation capacity for 85Sr and 60Co is measured to be 58.1 and 52.2 mg g-1, respectively. The sorption behavior of studied radionuclides is dependent on pH values. Sorption kinetic better fit with the pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, the sorption isotherm is better represented by the model proposed by Langmuir. The results of the desorption investigations indicated that the most effective eluents for achieving full recovery of investigated radionuclides were identified. Finally, the recycling results demonstrate the suitability of SnMo for affected sorbing of 85Sr and 60Co from aqueous solutions. All the obtained data clarify that the SnMo sorbent is an effective means of removing 85Sr and 60Co from liquid waste.

Iodide ion-imprinted chitosan beads for highly selective adsorption for nuclear wastewater treatment applications

Iodide ions from radioactive iodine isotopes are common contaminants present in nuclear wastewater from nuclear power plants which are considered hazardous contaminants to be released in water sources even at low concentrations due to their association with metabolic disorders, therefore its removal from the nuclear wastewater effluents is necessary. Chitosan beads are natural and cost-efficient adsorbents that have been used for ion removal from wastewater. However, issues of poor selectivity persist in achieving high-efficiency iodide ion removal. In this study, ion-imprinted chitosan beads (IIC) have been synthesized using the phase-inversion method, IIC beads were modified by cross-linking with epichlorohydrin (IIC-EPI) and modified by cross-linking with epichlorohydrin and silicon dioxide nanoparticles (IIC-SiO2-EPI). Through 4 h of batch adsorption experiments, IIC beads achieved a maximum adsorption capacity (Qe) of 0.65 mmol g-1 and showed more preference for the iodide ions compared to the non-imprinted chitosan beads which achieved a maximum adsorption capacity of 0.27 mmol g-1 at pH 7. While the modified beads IIC-EPI and IIC-SiO2-EPI beads have boosted the adsorption capacities to 0.72 mmol g-1 and 0.91 mmol g-1. Scanning electron microscopic cross-sectional images have shown more pores and cavities than the surface images which agrees with the multilayer heterogeneous diffusion suggested by the Freundlich adsorption isotherm, that the experimental data has fitted. Adsorption kinetic data have fitted the Pseudo-second-order model as well as the Weber and Morris intraparticle model, which suggest an intraparticle pore diffusion adsorption mechanism, with the involvement of the physical electrostatic interactions with the cationic chitosan surface.

Microbial involvement in iodine cycle: mechanisms and potential applications

Stable iodine isotopes are essential for humans as they are necessary for producing thyroid gland hormones. However, there are hazardous radioactive iodine isotopes that are emitted into the environment through radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants, nuclear weapon tests, and medical practice. Due to the biophilic character of iodine radionuclides and their enormous biomagnification potential, their elimination from contaminated environments is essential to prevent the spread of radioactive pollution in ecosystems. Since microorganisms play a vital role in controlling iodine cycling and fate in the environment, they also can be efficiently utilized in solving the issue of contamination spread. Thus, this paper summarizes all known on microbial processes that are involved in iodine transformation to highlight their prospects in remediation of the sites contaminated with radioactive iodine isotopes.

Viologen-functionalized magnetic material for the removal of Iodine and benzanthracene in an aqueous solution

The development of magnetically active adsorbents for effective iodine removal would be highly desirable to address environmental pollution and remediation. Herein, we demonstrated the synthesis of Vio@SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ as an adsorbent via surface functionalisation of electron-deficient bipyridium (viologen) units on the surface of magnetically active silica-coated magnetite (Fe₃O₄) core. This adsorbent was characterised thoroughly using various analytical techniques, such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis and X-ray photon analysis (XPS). The removal of triiodide from the aqueous solution was monitored via the batch method. It revealed that the complete removal was achieved upon stirring for 70 min. The thermally stable and crystalline Vio@SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ displayed efficient removal capacity even in the presence of other competing ions and at different pHs. The adsorption kinetics data were analysed following the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. Further, the isotherm experiment showed that the maximum uptake capacity of iodine is 1.38 g/g. It can be regenerated and reused over multiple cycles to capture iodine. Further, Vio@SiO₂@Fe₃O₄ displayed a good removal capacity toward toxic polyaromatic, Benzanthracene (BzA) pollutant with an uptake capacity of 2445 μg/g. This effective removal of toxic pollutants iodine/benzanthracene was attributed to the strong non-covalent electrostatic and π-π interaction with electron-deficient bipyridium units.

Performance of molybdenum vanadate loaded on bentonite for retention of cesium-134 from aqueous solutions

This article studied the sorption behavior of Cs(I) ions from aqueous solutions onto molybdenum vanadate@bentonite (MoV@bentonite) composite. MoV@bentonite has been fabricated using the precipitation method and was characterized by different analytical tools including, FT-IR, XRD, and SEM attached with an EDX unit. The sorption studies applied on Cs(I) ions include the effect of contact time, pH, initial metal concentrations, ionic strength, desorption, and recycling. The experimental results revealed that in the adsorption process carried out after equilibrium time (300 min), saturation capacity has a value of 26.72 mg·g^-1 and the sorption of Cs(I) ions is dependent on pH values and ionic strength. Sorption kinetic better fit with the pseudo-second-order model; sorption isotherms apply to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models. Data of thermodynamic parameters indicate that sorption is spontaneous and endothermic. Recycling experiments show that MoV@bentonite could be used for 7 cycles and the best eluant for the recovery of Cs(I) ions is 0.1 M HCl (76.9%). All the obtained data clarify that MoV@bentonite is considered a promising sorbent for the sorption of Cs(I) ions from aqueous solutions.

Preparation of Amphiphilic Chitosan-Loaded Bentonite Adsorbent and Its Performance in Removing Organic Matter from Coking Wastewater

An amphiphilic chitosan-loaded bentonite adsorbent (C18CTS-BT) was prepared for the efficient removal of organic matter from coking wastewater. The structure and surface morphology of adsorbents were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. The removal of those organics by C18CTS-BT was investigated by comparing the adsorption performances of C18CTS-BT with bentonite (BT) and chitosan-loaded bentonite (CTS-BT). The results showed that compared with BT and CTS-BT, C18CTS-BT showed the performance advantages of having a low dosage, wide pH range, and short adsorption equilibrium time. The optimized treatment process was as follows: the adsorbent dosage was 1.5 g·L^-1, the adsorption time was 60 min, and the pH of the system was 7.0. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the coking wastewater treated with BT, CTS-BT, and C18CTS-BT decreased from 342 mg·L^-1 in the raw water to 264 mg·L^-1, 218 mg·L^-1, and 146 mg·L^-1, corresponding to COD removal rates of 22.81%, 36.26%, and 57.31%, respectively. The results of GC-MS analysis also confirmed that C18CTS-BT could remove most of the organic compounds in coking wastewater, especially long-chain alkanes and their derivatives. The hydrophobic modification of the adsorbent material can effectively improve the removal performance of organic compounds from coking wastewater.

Ultrafast and selective separation of 99mTc from molybdenum matrix using DBDGA deliberately tailored macrocyclic crown-ethers

Technetium-99m (^99mTc) is an important medical radionuclide. Due to the crisis in supply of molybdenum-99 (⁹⁹Mo), production of ^99mTc directly via the ¹⁰⁰Mo (p, 2 n) reaction by cyclotron was proposed. In this process, the most critical challenge is to rapidly and efficiently separate ^99mTc from high concentration of molybdenum. In this work, a novel ligand, bis(N,N-dibutyldiglycolamide)dibenzo-18-crown-6 (BisDBDGA-DB18C6) was successfully synthesized and used for extraction of TcO₄^- /ReO₄^- from molybdenum. The results demonstrated that BisDBDGA-DB18C6 expressed excellent selectivity for TcO₄^- with a high separation factor of 1.6 × 10⁵ against Mo, a fast extraction kinetic (within 45 s), and a high extraction capacity of 211 mmol ReO₄^- (⁹⁹TcO₄^-)/per mole of extractant. The extraction mechanism was proposed as a co-interaction of macrocyclic crown ether and N,N-dibutyldiglycolamide group through slope analysis, FT-IR, ESI-MS, ¹H NMR titration and theory calculations. Importantly, ⁹⁹Tc in the organic phase can be quantitatively (> 99%) and easily back-extracted using deionized water, which can be directly used for medical applications.

Benzothiazole appended 2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)diacetonitrile for the colorimetric and fluorescence detection of cyanide ions

A benzothiazole appended 2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)diacetonitrile derivative (2Z,2'Z)-2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)bis(3-(3-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl)acrylonitrile) (PDBT) has been synthesized and investigated as a novel sensor, capable of showing high selectivity and sensitivity towards CN^- over a wide range of other interfering anions. After reaction with CN^-, PDBT shows a new absorption peak at 451 nm with a color transformation from colorless to reddish-brown. When yellow fluorescent PDBT is exposed to CN^-, it displays a significant increase in fluorescence at 445 nm, resulting in strong sky-blue fluorescence emission. The nucleophilic addition reaction of CN^- plays a role in the sensing mechanism of PDBT to CN^-. PDBT can distinguish between a broad variety of interfering anions and CN^- with remarkable selectivity and sensitivity. Furthermore, the detection limit of the PDBT probe for CN^- is 0.62 μM, which is significantly lower than the WHO standard of 1.9 μM for drinking water. Density functional theory simulations corroborated the observed fluorescence changes and the internal charge transfer process that occurs after cyanide ion addition. In addition, real-time applications of PDBT, such as cell imaging investigations and the detection of CN^- in water samples, were successfully carried out.

Adsorption of Aqueous Iodide on Hexadecyl Pyridinium-Modified Bentonite Investigated Using an Iodine–Starch Complex

The sorption affinity of iodide on organo-bentonite, modified with hexadecyl pyridinium (HDPy), was investigated with the iodine–starch method coupled with UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy. The iodine–starch complex method was optimized in terms of the reaction time and sample compositions, based on the UV/Vis absorbance. The batch sorption experiment for iodide on organo-bentonites, modified using two different loading amounts of HDPy, was conducted to analyze the influence of equilibrium time, liquid-to-solid ratio, and temperature, on the iodide sorption affinity. The experimental results regarding the removal capacity were further employed to derive the distribution coefficients of iodide on the organo-bentonites. The novelty of this work lies in the first application of the iodine–starch method coupled with UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy for analyzing the sorption behavior of iodide on modified bentonites. It is expected that the iodide-starch method can be complementarily employed for future research, with respect to the quantification of iodide.