An investigation into the use of cuprous chloride for the removal of radioactive iodide from aqueous solutions

Enhanced adsorption dynamics and thermal stability of radioactive Sr(II) by lamellar Nb-doped sodium vanadosilicate via self-assembly and conditional natroxalate intercalation

To promote the environmentally friendly and sustainable development of nuclear energy, it is imperative to address the treatment of wastewater generated by the nuclear industry. This necessitates the enhancement of fission product reclamation efficiency post-treatment. This study aims to combine defect control and confined self-assembly strategies for the precise design of interlayer spacing (14.6 Å to 15.1 Å), leading to the fabrication of conditional natroxalate-functionalized vanadosilicate, and its potential application in the efficient adsorption and reclamation of 90Sr. Na0.03Natroxalate2.47Si1.44Nb0.08V1.92O5·1.2 H2O (Nb4-NxSiVO), with a layer spacing of 14.9 Å, exhibits the highest Sr(II) adsorption capacity (248.76 mg/g), enabling effective separation with Cs+. The natroxalate embedded within the confined interlayers demonstrates excellent stability, offering rapid (within 10 min) and stable adsorption sites for Sr(II). Furthermore, Nb4-NxSiVO exhibits a wide band gap and exceptional thermal stability before and after adsorption, rendering hard desorption of 90Sr. The findings highlight the potential of Nb4-NxSiVO as a promising adsorbent for rapid and selective purification of 90Sr-containing wastewater and further application in nuclear batteries.

High efficiency removal of organic and inorganic iodine with ferrate[Fe(VI)] through oxidation and adsorption

I- is a halogen species existing in natural waters, and the transformation of organic and inorganic iodine in natural and artificial processes would impact the quality of drinking water. Herein, it was found that Fe(VI) could oxidize organic and inorganic iodine to IO3-and simultaneously remove the resulted IO3- through Fe(III) particles. For the river water, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and shale gas wastewater treated by 5 mg/L of Fe(VI) (as Fe), around 63 %, 55 % and 71 % of total iodine (total-I) had been removed within 10 min, respectively. Fe(VI) was superior to coagulants in removing organic and inorganic iodine from the source water. Adsorption kinetic analysis suggested that the equilibrium adsorption amount of I- and IO3- were 11 and 10.1 μg/mg, respectively, and the maximum adsorption capacity of IO3- by Fe(VI) resulted Fe(III) particles was as high as 514.7 μg/mg. The heterogeneous transformation of Fe(VI) into Fe(III) effectively improved the interaction probability of IO3- with iron species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation suggested that the IO3- was mainly adsorbed in the cavity (between the γ-FeOOH shell and γ-Fe2O3 core) of Fe(III) particles through electrostatic adsorption, van der Waals force and hydrogen bond. Fe(VI) treatment is effective for inhibiting the formation of iodinated disinfection by-products in chlor(am)inated source water.

Recent Advances in the Removal of Radioactive Iodine and Iodide from the Environment

Iodine (I2) in the form of iodide ions (I-) is an essential chemical element in the human body. Iodine is a nonmetal that belongs to the VIIA group (halogens) in the periodic table. Over the last couple of centuries, the exponential growth of human society triggered by industrialization coincided with the use of iodine in a wide variety of applications, including chemical and biological processes. However, through these processes, the excess amount of iodine eventually ends up contaminating soil, underground water, and freshwater sources, which results in adverse effects. It enters the food chain and interferes with biological processes with serious physiological consequences in all living organisms, including humans. Existing removal techniques utilize different materials such as metal-organic frameworks, layered double hydroxides, ion-exchange resins, silver, polymers, bismuth, carbon, soil, MXenes, and magnetic-based materials. From our literature survey, it was clear that absorption techniques are the most frequently experimented with. In this Review, we have summarized current advancements in the removal of iodine and iodide from human-made contaminated aqueous waste.

Radioactive Wastewater Treatment Technologies: A Review

With the wide application of nuclear energy, the problem of radioactive pollution has attracted worldwide attention, and the research on the treatment of radioactive wastewater is imminent. How to treat radioactive wastewater deeply and efficiently has become the most critical issue in the development of nuclear energy technology. The radioactive wastewater produced after using nuclear technology has the characteristics of many kinds, high concentration, and large quantity. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the treatment technology of radioactive wastewater in reprocessing plants. The process flow and waste liquid types of the post-treatment plant are reviewed. The commonly used evaporation concentration, adsorption, precipitation, ion exchange, biotechnology, membrane separation, and photocatalysis are summarized. The basic principles and technological characteristics of them are introduced. The advantages and disadvantages of different single and combined processes are compared, and the development trend of future processing technology is prospected.

Aquatic photochemistry of Cu(II) in the presence of As(III): Mechanistic insights from Cu(III) production and As(III) oxidation under neutral pH conditions

Surface complexation between arsenite (As(III)) and colloidal metal hydroxides plays an important role not only in the immobilization and oxidation of As(III) but also in the cycle of the metal and the fate of their ligands. However, the photochemical processes between Cu(II) and As(III) are not sufficiently understood. In this work, the photooxidation of As(III) in the presence of Cu(II) under neutral pH conditions was investigated in water containing 200 μM Cu(II) and 5 μM As(III) under simulated solar irradiation consisting of UVB light. The results confirmed the complexation between As(III) and Cu(II) hydroxides, and the photooxidation of As(III) is attributed to the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) process and Cu(III) oxidation. The light-induced LMCT process results in simultaneous As(III) oxidation and Cu(II) reduction, then produced Cu(I) undergoes autooxidation with O₂ to produce O₂^•⁻ and H₂O₂, and further the Cu(I)-Fenton reaction produces Cu(III) that can oxidize As(III) efficiently (k_{Cu(III)+As(III)} = 1.02 × 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1). The contributions from each pathway (ρ_{rCu(II)-As(III)+hv} = 0.62, ρ_{rCu(III)+As(III)} = 0.38) were obtained using kinetic analysis and simulation. Sunlight experiments showed that the pH range of As(III) oxidation could be extended to weak acidic conditions in downstream water from acid mine drainage (AMD). This work helps to understand the environmental chemistry of Cu(II) and As(III) regarding their interaction and photo-induced redox reactions.

Synthesis and applications of bismuth-impregnated biochars originated from spent coffee grounds for efficient adsorption of radioactive iodine: A mechanism study

The adsorption of radioactive iodine, which is capable of presenting high mobility in aquatic ecosystems and generating undesirable health effects in humans (e.g., thyroid gland dysfunction), was comprehensively examined using pristine spent coffee ground biochar (SCGB) and bismuth-impregnated spent coffee ground biochar (Bi@SCGB) to provide valuable insights into the variations in the adsorption capacity and mechanisms after pretreatment with Bi(NO₃)₃. The greater adsorption of radioactive iodine toward Bi@SCGB (adsorption capacity (Q_e) = 253.71 μg/g) compared to that for SCGB (Q_e = 23.32 μg/g) and its reduced adsorption capability at higher pH values provide evidence that the adsorption of radioactive iodine with SCGB and Bi@SCGB is strongly influenced by the presence of bismuth materials and the electrostatic repulsion between their negatively charged surfaces and negatively charged radioactive iodine (IO₃^-). The calculated R² values for the adsorption kinetics and isotherms support that chemisorption plays a crucial role in the adsorption of radioactive iodine by SCGB and Bi@SCGB in aqueous phases. The adsorption of radioactive iodine onto SCGB was linearly correlated with the contact time (h^1/2), and the diffusion of intra-particle predominantly determined the adsorption rate of radioactive iodine onto Bi@SCGB (C_{stage II} (129.20) > C_{stage I} (42.33)). Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption of radioactive iodine toward SCGB (ΔG° = -8.47 to -7.83 kJ/mol; ΔH° = -13.93 kJ/mol) occurred exothermically and that for Bi@SCGB (ΔG° = -15.90 to -13.89 kJ/mol; ΔH° = 5.88 kJ/mol) proceeded endothermically and spontaneously. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of SCGB and Bi@SCGB before and after the adsorption of radioactive iodine suggest the conclusion that the change in the primary adsorption mechanism from electrostatic attraction to surface precipitation upon the impregnation of bismuth materials on the surfaces of spent coffee ground biochars is beneficial for the adsorption of radioactive iodine in aqueous phases.

Synchronous Moderate Oxidation and Adsorption on the Surface of γ-MnO2 for Efficient Iodide Removal from Water

Long-term exposure to excessive iodine via drinking water presents health risks. Moderate oxidation of iodide (I^-) to iodine (I₂) has a better iodine removal effect than excessive oxidation to iodate (IO₃^-). This study combines computational and experimental methods to construct a heterogeneous interface with synchronous I^- moderate oxidation and I₂ adsorption to increase the total iodine removal. Compared to other forms of crystal manganese dioxide (MnO₂), theoretical calculations predict that MnO₂ with a γ-crystal structure has the lowest adsorption energy, that is, -1.20 eV, and a slight overlap between the conduction and valence bands, which favors electron transfer between I^- and Mn(IV) and I₂ adsorption. Thus, γ-type MnO₂ was designed by adjusting the precursor Mn sources and hydrothermal reaction conditions. The liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography confirmed that the total iodine concentration in water decreased from 173.7 to 36.3 μg/L after 2 h, with 200 mg/L γ-MnO₂ dosage lower than the national standard of 0.1 mg/L. A minute proportion of I^- in water was converted to IO₃^- (approximately 1.1 μg/L). The current I^- adsorbent performed better than previously reported ones. During iodine removal, most of the I^- migrated from water to the surface of γ-MnO₂, and the ratio of I^- to I₂ was determined to be 1:0.6 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This study evaluates iodine species transformation and an optimum strategy for heterogeneous interface design; it is promising for treating high-iodine groundwater.

Feasible synthesis of a novel and low-cost seawater-modified biochar and its potential application in phosphate removal/recovery from wastewater

In this study, a novel and low-cost seawater-modified biochar (SBC) was fabricated via the pyrolysis of fir wood waste followed by co-precipitation modification using seawater as the Ca/Mg source. The co-precipitation pH was a vital factor during modification, and the optimal pH was 10.50 according to calculations using PHREEQC 2.5 and experiments. The characterizations indicated that Ca and Mg were loaded on the SBC as irregular CaCO₃ and nanoflake-like Mg(OH)₂, respectively, with the latter dominating. The SBC exhibited a high maximum adsorption capacity of 181.07 mg/g for phosphate, calculated using the Langmuir model, excellent adsorption performance under acidic and neutral conditions (pH = 3.00-7.00), and remarkable selectivity against Cl^-, NO₃^-, and SO₄^2-. The presence of HCO₃^- promoted adsorption. The mechanisms behind phosphate adsorption involved electrostatic attraction, ligand exchange, precipitation, and inner-sphere complexation. Mg, rather than Ca, was served as the main adsorptive sites for phosphate. Additionally, the feasibility of treating real-world wastewater was tested in batch (using SBC powders) and fixed-bed column (using SBC granules) experiments. The results indicate that the SBC powders could reduce the phosphate concentration from 1.26 mg P/L to below 0.5 mg P/L at a low dose of 0.50 g/L, and the SBC granules exhibited a high removal efficiency with excellent recyclability; the capacity still remained at 78.92% of the initial capacity after five adsorption-desorption runs. Furthermore, the modification process almost did not increase the production cost of the SBC, which was estimated to be 0.41 $/kg. Our results demonstrate that seawater is a low-cost and efficient modifier for biochar modification, and the resultant SBC demonstrates great potential for treating actual phosphate-containing wastewater.

Preparation of Halloysite/Ag2O Nanomaterials and Their Performance for Iodide Adsorption

Halloysite/Ag2O (Hal/Ag2O) nanomaterials were prepared by growing Ag2O nanoparticles on the surface of nanotubular halloysite using silver nitrate solution under alkaline conditions. The nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N2 adsorption. Good dispersion of Ag2O nanoparticles with average sizes of 6.07 ± 2.5 nm and 8.04 ± 3.8 nm was achieved in the nanomaterials when using different concentrations of alkali. The nanomaterial with 6.36% Ag2O (Hal/Ag2O-2) exhibited rapid adsorption to iodide (I−); adsorption equilibrium can be reached within 100 min. The adsorption capacity of I− on Hal/Ag2O-2 is 57.5 mg/g, which is more than 143 times higher than that of halloysite. The nanomaterial also showed a better adsorption capacity per unit mass of Ag2O due to the better dispersion and less coaggregation of Ag2O in the nanomaterial than in the pure Ag2O nanoparticles. Importantly, Hal/Ag2O-2 exhibited high selectivity for I−, and its I− removal efficiency was hardly affected by the coexistence of Cl−, Br−, or SO42−, as well as the initial pH of the solution. With an excellent adsorption performance, the prepared Hal/Ag2O nanomaterial could be a new and efficient adsorbent capable of the adsorption of radioactive I− from aqueous solution.

Magnetic chitosan microspheres: An efficient and recyclable adsorbent for the removal of iodide from simulated nuclear wastewater

The efficient and recyclable magnetic chitosan microspheres (MCMs) were successfully synthesized to remove iodide from nuclear wastewater and characterized through XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS, VSM, TGA and XPS. The characterization results indicated that the MCMs exhibited smooth spherical morphology and good magnetic properties. The removal potential of MCMs was investigated for iodide (I^-) anions at different conditions. From pH 3 to pH 9, MCMs performed the high I^- removal efficiency (>90%). The maximum I^- removal capacity of MCMs was up to 0.8087 mmol g^-1 at 298 K, well-fitting with the pseudo-second-order and Sips models. Furthermore, the I^- removal efficiency of MCMs still maintained more than 91% after five adsorption-desorption cycles, performing good regeneration and reusability. This study is expected to prompt the MCMs to become an efficient and recyclable biosorbent for iodide removal from nuclear wastewater.

The thyroid hormone converting enzyme human deiodinase 1 is inhibited by gold ions from inorganic salts, organic substances, and by small-size nanoparticles

The selenocysteine-containing enzyme class deiodinases (DIO) consists of three isoforms. DIOs play a role in regulation of thyroid hormone (TH) signaling through the removal of iodide from TH leading to TH that interact with the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis with differing potency. Some gold-containing organic substances are known to inhibit many selenoenzymes, including DIOs. It is, however, unclear whether the Au-containing substances or the Au ions are causing the inhibition. In this study, five organic and inorganic gold substances as well as three gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were tested for their potential to inhibit DIO1. The enzyme activity was tested using human liver microsomes as an enzyme source and reverse T3 as a substrate; iodide release was measured by the Sandell-Kolthoff method. The three organic gold substances aurothioglucose, auranofin and sodium aurothiomalate inhibited DIO1 with IC₅₀ between 0.38 and 0.75 μM while their structural analogues lacking the gold ion did not. Likewise, the two tested gold salts, Au(I) and Au(III) chloride, showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of the DIO1 with IC₅₀ values of 0.95 and 0.57 μM. Further, AuNPs of different sizes (100, 30 and 5 nm diameter) were tested with only the 5 nm AuNPs leading to inhibition with an IC₅₀ of 8 × 10¹⁴ AuNP/L. This inhibition was not caused by the Au ions released by the AuNP into the incubation media. The exact mechanism of inhibition of DIO1 by 5 nm AuNPs should be further examined. In conclusion, the microsomal DIO1 assay demonstrated the inhibition of DIO1 by gold ions originating from different gold-containing substances, but not by Au released from AuNPs; rather DIO1 is inhibited by 5 nm, but not larger, AuNPs.

Immobile crystallization of radioactive iodide by redox transformation of a low crystalline copper phase

Here we show an innovative way to effectively scavenge highly mobile radioiodide and to dramatically reduce its waste volume through a spontaneous phase transformation. Under an anaerobic condition, as metallic copper (II) was favorably associated with bicarbonate (HCO₃^-) in solution, a cupriferous carbonate compound (malachite) quickly formed, which was redox-sensitive and transformable to a compact crystal of CuI (marshite). The formation of CuI crystal was principally led by the spontaneous Cu-I redox reaction centering around the copper phase over the presence of sulfate (SO₄^2-). The completely transformed CuI crystal was poorly soluble in water and grew to large microcrystals (∼μm) via a remarkable selectivity for I^-. Interestingly, this redox-induced iodide crystallization was rather promoted over the existence of anionic competitors (e.g., HCO₃^- and SO₄^2-), which usually exist in wastewater and natural water. Unlike the conventional methods, these competing anions positively behaved in our system by supporting that the initial malachite was more apt to be reactive to largely attract highly mobile I^-. Under practical environments with various anions, such a selective I^- uptake and fixation within a compact crystalline space will be a promising way to effectively remove I^- in a great capacity.

Rapid synthesis of polyimidazole functionalized MXene via microwave-irradiation assisted multi-component reaction and its iodine adsorption performance

The adsorption applications of MXene-based adsorbents have intensively investigated recently. However, the performance of MXene-based adsorbents has been largely limited owing to their lack of functional groups and adsorptive sites. Therefore, surface functionalization of MXene is an important route to achieve better performance for environmental adsorption. Herein, polyionic liquid functionalized MXene (named as MXene-PIL) was prepared through a multi-component reaction and adsorptive removal of iodine by MXene-PIL was also evaluated. The successful generation of PIL on MXene was confirmed by a series of characterization measurements. Furthermore, the effects of contact time, iodine concentration, environmental temperature and other factors on the adsorption performance of MXene-PIL were investigated. Adsorption kinetic analysis including pseudo-first-order dynamic model, pseudo-second-order dynamic model and Weber-Morris model, adsorption thermodynamic analysis such as Langmuir and Freundlich models and Van't Hoff equation were used for further analysis the adsorption behavior of iodine by MXene-PIL. We demonstrated that the adsorption capacity could be as high as about 170 mg/g, which is obviously larger than the unmodified MXene and most of other reported adsorbents. Taken together, a simple strategy has been developed for in-situ generation of PIL on MXene and the resultant composites show potential application for adsorptive removal of iodine.

Imaging adsorption of iodide on single Cu2O microparticles reveals the acid activation mechanism

Imaging an adsorption reaction taking place at the single-particle level is a promising avenue for fundamentally understanding the adsorption mechanism. Here, we employ a dark-field microscopy (DFM) method for in situ imaging the adsorption process of I^- on single Cu₂O microparticles to reveal the acid activation mechanism. Using the time-lapsed DMF imaging, we find that a relatively strong acid is indispensable to trigger the adsorption reaction of I^- on single Cu₂O microparticle. A hollow microparticle with the increase in size is obtained after the adsorption reaction, causing the enhancement of the scattering intensity. Correlating the change of the scattering light intensity or particle size with adsorption capacity of I^-, we quantitatively analyze the selective uptake, slightly heterogeneous adsorption behavior, pH/temperature-dependent adsorption capacity, and adsorption kinetics as well as isotherms of individual Cu₂O microparticles for I^-. Our observations demonstrate that the acid-initiated Kirkendall effect is responsible for the high-reaction activity of single Cu₂O microparticles for adsorption of I^- in the acidic environment, through breaking the unfavorable lattice energy between Cu₂O and CuI as well as generating high-active hollow intermediate microparticle.

Integrated forward osmosis-adsorption process for strontium-containing water treatment: Pre-concentration and solidification

The volume reduction and subsequent solidification of soluble radionuclides have been known as the major challenges in global radioactive water management, with the urgent needs for new technology development. Thus, a novel forward osmosis (FO)-adsorption process was developed for decontamination of strontium-containing radioactive water. The FO filtration driven by the osmotic pressure difference across FO membrane was more cost- and energy-effective for pre-concentration and volume reduction of low-concentration radioactive water prior to solidification, whereas subsequent adsorption with a novel adsorbent offered an effective mean for high-efficiency fixation of soluble radioactive on adsorbent. Results showed that the FO unit in the proposed integrated process could lead to a concentration factor of 10, with 90% of water volume reduction. The concentrated stream with a smaller volume from FO was further treated through adsorption of Sr²⁺ by nanostructured layered sodium vanadosilicate which had an excellent adsorption capacity of 174.3 mg Sr²⁺/g. It was found that 96.8-99.9% of soluble Sr²⁺ in FO concentrate could be removed by adsorption within several seconds. As the result, an excellent solidification of Sr²⁺ with an ultimate concentration factor of 1000 was achieved in the proposed novel integrated FO-adsorption process. These clearly demonstrated that this process would offer an environmentally sustainable and economically viable engineering solution for high-efficiency decontamination of Sr²⁺-containing radioactive water.

Capture of iodine in solution and vapor phases by newly synthesized and characterized encapsulated Cu2O nanoparticles into the TMU-17-NH2 MOF

The efficient capture and storage of radioactive iodine (¹²⁹I or ¹³¹I) formed during the extensive use of nuclear energy is of paramount importance. Therefore, it is a great deal to design new adsorbents for effectively disposing of iodine from nuclear waste. In this work, a new Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ composite has been prepared by a simple encapsulation of Cu₂O nanoparticles (NPs) into the metal organic framework (MOF) TMU-17-NH₂ for the first time. The as-synthesized Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ was fully characterized in details and the iodine sorption/release capability of the Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ composite has been investigated both in solution and in the vapor phase. According to the FE-SEM images, the Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ was obtained with same morphology to that of the pristine TMU-17-NH₂. The I₂ sorption/release experiments were examined by UV-vis spectroscopy. The optimal iodine sorption was obtained by almost complete removal of iodine with a sorption capacity of about 567 mg/g. Detailed experimental evidence demonstrating that the iodine was captured by chemisorption process. Furthermore, photoluminescence (PL) properties of Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ have also been investigated in which indicate that the Cu₂O/TMU-17-NH₂ composite exhibits stronger emission than the pristine TMU-17-NH₂.

Use of silver–bentonite in sorption of chloride and iodide ions

Ag–bentonite was prepared by ion exchange process to sorb iodide and chloride ions in batch experiments. The modified bentonite was examined with XRF and XRD. 75% of the cation exchange capacity was exchanged by silver ions. It was found that the sorption of chloride ions is an exothermic precipitation process because the solubility decreases with increasing temperature. In the case of iodide sorption, the dissolution of AgI was observed under high concentration of non-radioactive iodide ions, which is well known in analytical chemistry. The phenomenon occurs not only in the bulk aqueous phase but also in the interlayer space of montmorillonite.

Selective immobilization of iodide onto a novel bismuth-impregnated layered mixed metal oxide: Batch and EXAFS studies

A novel Mg/Al/Bi ternary mixed metal oxide (MMO) was successfully prepared by a simple coprecipitation and calcination process. The Mg/Al/Bi MMO (molar ratio = 3:0.4:0.6) presented synergistically enhanced adsorption efficiency for iodide in water with porous structure. Kinetic adsorption results indicated good agreement with pseudo first-order-kinetic model (R = 0.998) and the maximum adsorption capacity calculated by Langmuir isotherm of Mg/Al/Bi MMO was 202.2 mg/g, which is higher than that of Mg/Al layered double oxide (LDO) (161.0 mg/g) and bismuth oxide (57.5 mg/g). In addition, the Mg/Al/Bi MMO showed good adsorption efficiency under neutral condition (pH 7), by which the material exhibits relatively strong resistance to the presence of co-existing anions in water due to the ion selectivity. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra revealed that the enhanced adsorption of iodide by Mg/Al/Bi MMO can be induced by selective Bi-O-IBformation, which is stable waste form for its treatment. Consequently, it is clear that the novel Mg/Al/Bi MMO is a potentially attractive material in terms of selective uptake of iodide with forming stable chemical complex in radioactive contaminants.

Enhanced removal of I- on hierarchically structured layered double hydroxides by in suit growth of Cu/Cu2O

To further improve the removal ability of layered double hydroxide (LDH) for iodide (I^-) anions from wastewater, we prepared hierarchically porous Cu₅Mg₁₀Al₅-LDH and used as a matrix for in suit growth of Cu/Cu₂O on its surface, forming Cu/Cu₂O-LDH, which was characterized and applied as an adsorbent. Results displayed high I^- saturation uptake capability (137.8 mg/g) of Cu/Cu₂O-LDH compared with Cu₅Mg₁₀Al₅-LDH (26.4 mg/g) even thermal activated LDH (76.1 mg/g). Thermodynamic analysis showed that the reaction between I^- anions and Cu/Cu₂O-LDH is a spontaneous and exothermic. Uptake kinetics analysis exhibited that adsorption equilibrium can be reached after 265 min. Additionally, the adsorbent showed satisfactory selectivity in the presence of competitive anions (e.g., SO₄^2-), and could achieve good adsorption performance in a wide pH range of 3-8. A cooperative adsorption mechanism was proposed on the basis of the following two aspects: (1) ion exchange between iodide and interlayer anions; (2) the adsorption performance of Cu, Cu(II) and Cu₂O for I^-. Meanwhile, the difference between the adsorption mechanism of Cu/Cu₂O-LDH, Cu₅Mg₁₀Al₅-LDH and Cu₅Mg₁₀Al₅-CLDH adsorbents was also elaborated and verified.

Cross-linked chitosan microspheres entrapping silver chloride via the improved emulsion technology for iodide ion adsorption

Radioactive iodine waste from nuclear plant became the severe environmental problem and led to the public health concern. The cross-linked chitosan adsorbed iodide anions through the electrical attraction, yet performing limited-efficiently. Targeting as the better adsorption, the modified chitosan sorbent as AgCl@CM (silver chloride entrapped in the cross-linked chitosan microspheres) for iodine adsorption was proposed and implemented by chemisorption from AgCl and physisorption from chitosan via the improved emulsion method (emulsions mixing-collision and polymerization). With the broad application from pH 2 to pH 10, the spherical AgCl@CM (from 0.20 g silver nitrate) performed the I¹²⁷ anions (instead of radioactive iodine) adsorption efficiency of higher than 90 % in 20 min, with the maximum adsorption capacity of 1.5267 mmol/g, well-fitting with the pseudo-first-order model and Sips isothermal model. AgCl@CM also performed I¹²⁷ adsorption with the significant selectivity relative to Cl^-. The micro-spherical AgCl@CM sorbents were therefore prospective-effectively for iodine waste water treatment.

Cesium retention and release from sulfur polymer concrete matrix under normal and accidental conditions

This paper proposes an efficient two-stage process for stabilization and solidification of the Cs-137 isotope in a sulfur polymer concrete (SPC) matrix. Lignite slag (SL) and fly ash (FA) were applied as active fillers for cesium immobilization. To study the release of Cs-137 isotope and determine the tracer activity in the leachates, we applied a slightly modified ANSI/ANS 16.1 protocol and the gamma spectrometry technique. The measured effective diffusion coefficients for the Cs-137 isotope were between 0.84·10^-9 and 3.10·10^-9 cm²·s^-1. Normalized leaching rates were within the range of 1.74·10^-5 - 3.85·10^-5 g·cm^-2·d^-1, fulfilling acceptance criteria for radioactive wasteforms. As well as standard leaching under static conditions, we also studied dynamic leaching of SPC samples at increased temperatures and leaching in an aggressive environment. The Cs-137 effective diffusion coefficients were found to increase by 3 - 4 orders of magnitude (10^-6 - 10^-5 cm²·s^-1), while the normalized leaching rate reached values of up to 2.36·10^-3 g·cm^-2·d^-1 after 28 days of leaching. The proposed cesium immobilization mechanism is based on the formation of cesium silicate and aluminosilicate phases, together with effective matrix sealing during the SPC manufacturing process.

Decontamination of radioactive wastewater: State of the art and challenges forward

Radioactive substances have been widely used in many industrial sectors, e.g. nuclear power station, biomedical engineering, etc. With increasing applications of nuclear technology, more and more radioactive wastewater is being generated via different channels, which indeed is posing an emerging challenge and threat to the environment and human health. Given such a situation, this review attempts to offer a holistic view with regard to the state of the art of technology for decontamination of radioactive wastewater as well as shed lights on the challenges forward. Different from reclamation of other types of wastewaters, the most challenging issue in decontamination of radioactive wastewater is the effective stabilization and solidification of soluble radioactive nuclides present in wastewater, which are critical for final disposal. Moreover, the potential risk of human exposure to wastewater radiation needs to be carefully assessed, and this issue should also be taken into consideration in the selection, design and operation of the radioactive wastewater treatment process. These clearly differentiate the treatment principle of radioactive wastewater from those of traditional industrial and municipal wastewaters. Lastly, the challenges from the perspectives of technology development, environmental and human health impacts and possible solutions forward are also elucidated.

Enhanced removal of iodide ions by nano Cu2O/Cu modified activated carbon from simulated wastewater with improved countercurrent two-stage adsorption

A newly developed adsorbent nano Cu₂O/Cu-modified activated carbon composite (nano Cu₂O/Cu-C) was used to remove radioactive iodide ions (I^-) from simulated wastewater. The emphasis of this research is to improve adsorption performance and obtain higher I^- removal efficiency compared with the single-stage adsorption. To fully develop the amount of adsorption by nano Cu₂O/Cu-C, and to increase the decontamination factor (DF) of I^-, an improved countercurrent two-stage adsorption (ICTA) process was introduced. In the ICTA process, measures dealing with desorption of loaded adsorbent in the stage-two adsorption were taken and more extensive application of countercurrent two-stage adsorption (CTA) process could be made after the improvement to ICTA process in this study. Furthermore, in order to analyze the process and determine the I^- concentration in the effluent, a calculation method was devised based on the Langmuir isotherm equations and adsorption accumulation principle. The mean DFs were 177, 166, and 89.7, respectively, when the initial I^- concentrations were 5.00, 10.0, and 20.0 mg/L; and the adsorbent dosage was 1.25 g/L. These results were approximately 8.76, 8.97, and 6.79 times higher, respectively, than with conventional single-stage adsorption. The experimental values of the I^- concentration were higher than the calculated ones, which could be ascribed to desorption of the residual loaded adsorbent and formation of CuI in the adsorption at stage 1. Formation of CuI in the adsorption at stage 1 was considered to be the predominant reason.

Enhanced Uptake of Iodide from Solutions by Hollow Cu-Based Adsorbents

Cu₂O exhibits excellent adsorption performance for the removal of I⁻ anions from solutions by doping of metallic Ag or Cu. However, the adsorption process only appears on the surface of adsorbents. To further improve the utilization efficiencies of Cu content of adsorbents in the uptake process of I⁻ anions, hollow spheres of metallic Cu, Cu/Cu₂O composite and pure Cu₂O were prepared by a facile solvothermal method. Samples were characterized and employed for the uptake of I⁻ anions under various experimental conditions. The results show that Cu content can be tuned by adjusting reaction time. After the core was hollowed out, the uptake capacity of the samples increased sharply, and was proportional to the Cu content. Moreover, the optimal uptake was reached within only few hours. Furthermore, the uptake mechanism is proposed by characterization and analysis of the composites after uptake. Cu-based adsorbents have higher uptake performance when solutions are exposed to air, which further verified the proposed uptake mechanism. Finally, hollow Cu-based adsorbents exhibit excellent selectivity for I⁻ anions in the presence of large concentrations of competitive anions, such as Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻, and function well in an acidic or neutral environment. Therefore, this study is expected to promote the development of Cu-based adsorbents into a highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of iodide from solutions.

General Route to High Surface Area Covalent Organic Frameworks and Their Metal Oxide Composites as Magnetically Recoverable Adsorbents and for Energy Storage

Two-dimensional (2D) imine-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted great interest for gas uptake, catalysis, drug delivery, electronic devices, and photocatalytic applications. The synthetic methodologies involved in imine-linked COF formations such as solvothermal synthesis usually require harsh experimental conditions. In this work, we show for the first time how highly crystalline COFs with very high surface areas (3.6 times higher than using conventional approaches) can be prepared by combining a mechanochemical and crystallization approach. More importantly, this facile method is a general route to novel composites of COF and metal oxides including Fe₃O₄, Co₃O₄, and NiO. The composites can be used as magnetically recoverable adsorbents and show a strong redox-activity making them interesting for applications in electrochemical energy storage.

One-step synthesis of Ag2O@Mg(OH)2 nanocomposite as an efficient scavenger for iodine and uranium

Ag₂O nanoparticles anchored on the Mg(OH)₂ nanoplates (Ag₂O@Mg(OH)₂) were successfully prepared by a facile one-step method, which combined the Mg(OH)₂ formation with Ag₂O deposition. The synthesized products were characterized by a wide range of techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and nitrogen physisorption analysis. It was found that Ag₂O nanoparticles anchored on the Mg(OH)₂ nanoplates show good dispersion and less aggregation relative to the single Ag₂O nanoaggregates. In addition, iodide (I^-) removal by the Ag₂O@Mg(OH)₂ nanocomposite was studied systematically. Batch experiments reveal that the nanocomposite exhibits extremely high I^- removal rate (<10min), and I^- removal capacity is barely affected by the concurrent anions, such as Cl^-, SO₄^2-, CO₃^2- and NO₃^-. Furthermore, I^- and UO₂²⁺ could be simultaneously removed by the nanocomposite with high efficiency. Due to the simple synthetic procedure, the excellent removal performances for iodine and uranium, and the easy separation from water, the Ag₂O@Mg(OH)₂ nanocomposite has real potential for application in radioactive wastewater treatment, especially during episodic environmental crisis.

Bimetallic AgCu/Cu2O hybrid for the synergetic adsorption of iodide from solution

To further improve the capacity of Cu₂O to absorb I^- anions from solution, and to understand the difference between the adsorption mechanisms of Ag/Cu₂O and Cu/Cu₂O adsorbents, bimetallic AgCu was doped into Cu₂O through a facile solvothermal route. Samples were characterized and employed to adsorb I^- anions under different experimental conditions. The results show that the Cu content can be tuned by adding different volumes of Ag sols. After doping bimetallic AgCu, the adsorption capacity of the samples can be increased from 0.02 mmol g^-1 to 0.52 mmol g^-1. Moreover, the optimal adsorption is reached within only 240 min. Meanwhile, the difference between the adsorption mechanisms of Ag/Cu₂O and Cu/Cu₂O adsorbents was verified, and the cooperative adsorption mechanism of the AgCu/Cu₂O hybrid was proposed and verified. In addition, the AgCu/Cu₂O hybrid showed excellent selectivity, e.g., its adsorption efficiencies are 85.1%, 81.9%, 85.9% and 85.7% in the presence of the Cl^-, CO₃^2-, SO₄^2- and NO₃^- competitive anions, respectively. Furthermore, the AgCu/Cu₂O hybrid can worked well in other harsh environments (e.g., acidic, alkaline and seawater environments). Therefore, this study is expected to promote the development of Cu₂O into a highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of iodide from solution.

Synthesis of Cu/Cu2O hydrides for enhanced removal of iodide from water

In order to improve the removal capacity of Cu₂O for I^- anions from water, Cu/Cu₂O hybrids have been synthesized through a facile hydrothermal route, characterized by using SEM, XRD, XPS, and applied to remove I^- anions under different experimental environments. The results demonstrate that the Cu content and morphology of samples can be tuned by the adding amount of ammonia. Meanwhile, the possible crystalline mechanism, Cu₂O formed firstly and then metallic Cu generated, was presented. With the increasing of Cu doped amount, the removal capacity of Cu/Cu₂O hybrids increased significantly from 0.02mmolg^-1 to 0.18mmolg^-1. Furthermore, a reaction mechanism of I^- anions and Cu₂O, which generated from the disproportionation reaction of metallic Cu and CuO, has been proposed according to the characterization analyses of the composites before and after adsorption, explaining the highly efficient removal of I^- anions. In addition, Cu/Cu₂O hybrids showed excellent selectivity for I^- anions in the presence of large concentrations of competitive anions such as SO₄^2- and NO₃^- and could work in an acidic and neutral environment. This study is hopefully to prompt Cu₂O to grow up to be a new and highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of iodide from solutions.

Enhanced uptake of iodide on Ag@Cu2O nanoparticles

In order to improve the uptake capacity of Cu₂O for I^- anions from water, Ag loaded Cu₂O composites have been synthesized through a facile method, characterized using SEM, XRD, XPS and applied to remove I^- anions under different experimental environments. The results show that the uptake capacity of Ag@Cu₂O increased with the increasing Ag doped amount. Meanwhile, the uptake capacity (0.20 mmol g^-1) of 1.0%-Ag@Cu₂O for the removal of I^- anions is ten times higher than that of pure Cu₂O (0.02 mmol g^-1). Furthermore, a mechanism explaining the highly efficient removal of I^- anions has been proposed according to characterization analyses of the composites after adsorption and subsequently been verified by adsorption under visible light experiments. 1.0%-Ag@Cu₂O (0.5%-Ag@Cu₂O, 0.2%-Ag@Cu₂O) shows a high iodide uptake efficiency of 98.5% (77.6%, 37.8%) in the visible light, much higher than that under the darkness (86.3%, 69.7% and 30.8%). In addition, the adsorbent showed excellent selectivity for I^- anions in the presence of large concentrations of competitive anions, eg. uptake efficiencies are 78.2%, 62.8%, 70.2% and 77.9% in the presence of the Cl^-, CO₃^2-, SO₄^2- and NO₃^- competitive anions, respectively, and could work in a wide pH range of 3-11. This study is hopefully to prompt Cu₂O to become a new and highly efficient adsorbent for iodide adsorb from solutions.

Microbial copper reduction method to scavenge anthropogenic radioiodine

Unexpected reactor accidents and radioisotope production and consumption have led to a continuous increase in the global-scale contamination of radionuclides. In particular, anthropogenic radioiodine has become critical due to its highly volatile mobilization and recycling in global environments, resulting in widespread, negative impact on nature. We report a novel biostimulant method to effectively scavenge radioiodine that exhibits remarkable selectivity for the highly difficult-to-capture radioiodine of >500-fold over other anions, even under circumneutral pH. We discovered a useful mechanism by which microbially reducible copper (i.e., Cu(2+) to Cu(+)) acts as a strong binder for iodide-iodide anions to form a crystalline halide salt of CuI that is highly insoluble in wastewater. The biocatalytic crystallization of radioiodine is a promising way to remove radioiodine in a great capacity with robust growth momentum, further ensuring its long-term stability through nuclear I(-) fixation via microcrystal formation.