Iodine immobilization by materials through sorption and redox-driven processes: A literature review

Efficient adsorption of radioactive iodine by covalent organic framework/chitosan aerogel

Radioactive iodine is considered one of the most dangerous radioactive elements in nuclear waste. Therefore, effective capture of radioactive iodine is essential for developing and using nuclear energy to solve the energy crisis. Some materials that have been developed for removing radioactive iodine still suffer from complex synthesis, low removal capacity, and non-reusability. Herein, covalent organic framework (COF)/chitosan (CS) aerogels were prepared using vacuum freeze-drying, and the COF nanoparticles were tightly attached on the green biomass material CS networks. Due to the synergistic effect of both COF and CS, the composite aerogel shows a three-dimensional porous and stable structure in the recycle usage. The COF/CS aerogel exhibits excellent iodine adsorption capacity of 2211.58 mg g-1 and 5.62 g g-1 for static iodine solution and iodine vapor, respectively, better than some common adsorbents. Furthermore, COF/CS aerogel demonstrated good recyclability performance with 87 % of the initial adsorption capacity after 5 cycles. In addition, the interaction between iodine and imine groups, amino groups, and benzene rings of aerogel are the possible adsorption mechanisms. COF/CS aerogel has excellent adsorption properties, good chemical stability, and reusable performance, which is a potential and efficient adsorbent for industrial radioactive iodine adsorption from nuclear waste.

Current and emerging technologies for the remediation of difficult-to-measure radionuclides at nuclear sites

Difficult-to-measure radionuclides (DTMRs), defined by an absence of high energy gamma emissions during decay, are problematic in groundwaters at nuclear sites. DTMRs are common contaminants at many nuclear facilities, with (often) long half-lives and high radiotoxicities within the human body. Effective remediation is, therefore, essential if nuclear site end-state targets are to be met. However, due to a lack of techniques for in situ DTMR detection, technologies designed to remediate these nuclides are underdeveloped and tend to be environmentally invasive. With a growing agenda for sustainable remediation and reduction in nuclear decommissioning costs, there is renewed international focus on the development of less invasive technologies for DTMR clean-up. Here, we review recent developments for remediation of selected problem DTMRs (129I, 99Tc, 90Sr and 3H), with a focus on industrial and site-scale applications. We find that pump and treat (P&T) is the most used technique despite efficacy issues for 129I and 3H. Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) are a less invasive alternative but have only been demonstrated for removal of 99Tc and 90Sr at scale. Phytoremediation shows promise for site-scale removal of 3H but is unsuitable for 129I and 99Tc due to biotoxicity and bioavailability hazards, respectively. No single technique can remediate all DTMRs of focus. Likewise, there has been no successful site-applied technology with high removal efficiencies for iodine species typically present in groundwaters (iodide/I-, iodate/IO3- and organoiodine). Further work is needed to adapt and improve current techniques to field scales, as well as further research into targeted application of emerging technologies.

Immobilization of purified enzyme EreB in metalorganic framework (MOF) mesopores for erythromycin degradation

Erythromycin, a commonly used macrolide antibiotic, plays a crucial role in both human medicine and animal husbandry. However, its abuse has led to residual presence in the environment, with problems such as the emergence of resistant bacteria and enrichment of resistance genes. These issues pose significant risks to human health. Thus far, there are no effective, environmentally friendly methods to manage this problem. Enzymes can specifically degrade erythromycin without causing other problems, but their unrecyclability and environmental vulnerability hinder large-scale application. Enzyme immobilization may help to solve these problems. This study used Cu-BTC, a synthetic metal-organic framework, to immobilize the erythromycin-degrading enzyme EreB. The loading temperature and enzyme quantity were optimized. The Cu-BTC and EreB@Cu-BTC were characterized by various methods to confirm the preparation of Cu-BTC and immobilization of EreB. The maximum enzyme loading capacity was 66.5 mg g-1. In terms of enzymatic properties, immobilized EreB had improved heat (25-45 °C) and alkaline (6.5-10) tolerance, along with greater affinity between the enzyme and its substrate; Km decreased from 438.49 to 372.30 mM. Recycling was also achieved; after 10 cycles, 57.12% of the enzyme activity was maintained. After composite degradation, the antibacterial activity of erythromycin-containing wastewater was examined; the results showed that the novel composite could completely inactivate erythromycin. In summary, Cu-BTC was an ideal carrier for immobilization of the enzyme EreB, and the EreB@Cu-BTC composite has good prospects for the treatment of erythromycin-containing wastewater.

Fabrication of bimetallic-doped materials derived from a Cu-based complex for enhanced dye adsorption and iodine capture

In this work, we used Cu(II) ions, a bis-pyridyl-bis-amide ligand [N,N'-bis(4-pyridinecarboxamide)-1,2-cyclohexane (4-bpah)], and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid [1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (H2CHDA)] to construct a 1D binuclear Cu-based complex, namely {[Cu3(4-bpah)(CHDA)3(H2O)]·2H2O}n (1). Moreover, we also developed a facile method to synthesize two monometallic/bimetallic-doped materials which were derived from the Cu complex (C-N-1 and C-V-1, which were doped with nitrogen and vanadium, respectively). The as-synthesized derived materials were fully characterized and the iodine sorption/release capabilities were investigated in detail. We performed iodine adsorption experiments on the two monometallic/bimetallic-doped materials and found that C-N-1 and C-V-1 possess highly efficient adsorption activities for the adsorption of iodine from solution. The C-N-1 and C-V-1 complexes exhibited remarkable adsorption capacities of 1141.60 and 1170.70 mg g-1, respectively, for iodine from a cyclohexane solution. Moreover, the dye adsorption properties of C-N-1 and C-V-1 were also investigated in detail. The obtained C-N-1 and C-V-1 exhibit effective dye uptake performances in water solution. The adsorption of Congo red (CR) on a single metal carbon material C-N-1 doped with heteroatoms reached equilibrium within 240 min and reached an adsorption capacity of 1357.00 mg g-1 and the adsorption capacities of C-V-1 for methylene blue (MB), gentian violet (GV), rhodamine B (RhB), and CR at room temperature were found to be 187.60, 190.60 and 108.10 and 1501.00 mg g-1 in 180 min, respectively. By comparison, we found that doping vanadium could play an important role in the adsorption processes. The adsorption capacity of C-V-1 (containing the vanadium in its structure) was relatively higher than that of C-N-1, which indicated that the introduction of non-noble metals may effectively tune the adsorption kinetics activity and the introduction of noble metals can change the surface electronegativity of porous carbon materials, thus leading to significantly improved adsorption capabilities.

A twelve-electron conversion iodine cathode enabled by interhalogen chemistry in aqueous solution

The battery chemistry aiming for high energy density calls for the redox couples that embrace multi-electron transfer with high redox potential. Here we report a twelve-electron transfer iodine electrode based on the conversion between iodide and iodate in aqueous electrolyte, which is six times than that of the conventional iodide/iodine redox couple. This is enabled by interhalogen chemistry between iodine (in the electrode) and bromide (in the acidic electrolyte), which provides an electrochemical-chemical loop (the bromide-iodate loop) that accelerates the kinetics and reversibility of the iodide/iodate electrode reaction. In the deliberately designed aqueous electrolyte, the twelve-electron iodine electrode delivers a high specific capacity of 1200 mAh g-1 with good reversibility, corresponding to a high energy density of 1357 Wh kg-1. The proposed iodine electrode is substantially promising for the design of future high energy density aqueous batteries, as validated by the zinc-iodine full battery and the acid-alkaline decoupling battery.

Adsorption and Detection of Iodine Species by a Thorium-Based Metal-Organic Framework

Actinide-bearing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) encompass intriguing structures and properties, but the radioactivity of actinide cripples their applications. Herein, we have constructed a new thorium-based MOF (Th-BDAT) as a bifunctional platform for the adsorption and detection of radioiodine, a more radioactive fission product that can readily spread through the atmosphere in its molecular form or via solution as anionic species. The iodine capture within the framework of Th-BDAT from both the vapor phase and the cyclohexane solution has been verified, showing that Th-BDAT features maximum I₂ adsorption capacities (Q_max) of 959 and 1046 mg/g, respectively. Notably, the Q_max of Th-BDAT toward I₂ from cyclohexane solution ranks among the highest value for Th-MOFs reported to date. Furthermore, incorporating highly extended and π-electron-rich BDAT^4- ligands renders Th-BDAT as a luminescent chemosensor whose emission can be selectively quenched by iodate with a detection limit of 1.367 μM. Our findings thus foreshadow promising directions that might unlock the full potential of actinide-based MOFs from the point of view of practical application.

Adsorptive removal of iodate oxyanions from water using a Zr-based metal-organic framework

A Zr₆-based metal-organic framework (MOF), MOF-808, is investigated for the adsorptive removal of IO₃^- from aqueous solutions, due to its high surface area and abundance of open metal sites. The uptake kinetics, adsorption capacity and binding mode are studied, showing a maximum uptake capacity of 233 mg g^-1, the highest reported by any material.

Efficient Iodine Removal by Porous Biochar-Confined Nano-Cu2O/Cu0: Rapid and Selective Adsorption of Iodide and Iodate Ions

Iodine is a nuclide of crucial concern in radioactive waste management. Nanomaterials selectively adsorb iodine from water; however, the efficient application of nanomaterials in engineering still needs to be developed for radioactive wastewater deiodination. Artemia egg shells possess large surface groups and connecting pores, providing a new biomaterial to remove contaminants. Based on the Artemia egg shell-derived biochar (AES biochar) and in situ precipitation and reduction of cuprous, we synthesized a novel nanocomposite, namely porous biochar-confined nano-Cu₂O/Cu⁰ (C-Cu). The characterization of C-Cu confirmed that the nano-Cu₂O/Cu⁰ was dispersed in the pores of AES biochar, serving in the efficient and selective adsorption of iodide and iodate ions from water. The iodide ion removal by C-Cu when equilibrated for 40 min exhibited high removal efficiency over the wide pH range of 4 to 10. Remarkable selectivity towards both iodide and iodate ions of C-Cu was permitted against competing anions (Cl^-/NO₃^-/SO₄^2-) at high concentrations. The applicability of C-Cu was demonstrated by a packed column test with treated effluents of 1279 BV. The rapid and selective removal of iodide and iodate ions from water is attributed to nanoparticles confined on the AES biochar and pore-facilitated mass transfer. Combining the advantages of the porous biochar and nano-Cu₂O/Cu⁰, the use of C-Cu offers a promising method of iodine removal from water in engineering applications.

Recent advances in the removal of radioactive iodine by bismuth-based materials

Nowadays, the demand for nuclear power is continue increasing due to its safety, cleanliness, and high economic benefits. Radioactive iodine from nuclear accidents and nuclear waste treatment processes poses a threat to humans and the environment. Therefore, the capture and storage of radioactive iodine are vital. Bismuth-based (Bi-based) materials have drawn much attention as low-toxicity and economical materials for removing and immobilizing iodine. Recent advances in adsorption and immobilization of vapor iodine by the Bi-based materials are discussed in this review, in addition with the removal of iodine from solution. It points out the neglected areas in this research topic and provides suggestions for further development and application of Bi-based materials in the removal of radioactive iodine.

Spatiotemporal Variability of Groundwater Iodine in the Northern Arid Basins: Significance for Safe Water Supply

The genesis of geogenic iodine (I)-contaminated groundwater poses a significant threat to long-term water exploitation. Safe and sustainable water supply, particularly in the northern arid basins, demands a quantitative prediction of the high variability of I distribution over hydrogeological timescales. Here, bioenergetics-informed reactive transport modeling was combined with high-resolution molecular characterization of fueling organic matter to decipher the time-controlled interactions between vertical flow and (bio)geochemical processes in I transport within the Datong aquifers. The declining reactivities of I-bearing organic matter and Fe oxides in the 15-40 m depth decreased the rate of I release, while a growing number of pore volumes flushed through the aquifers to leach out I^- and organic I. This removal effect is compensated by the desorption of I^- from Fe oxides and secondary FeS generated from the concurrent reduction of Fe oxides and SO₄^2-. Consequently, peak concentrations of groundwater I^- may have appeared, depending upon the vertical recharge rate, at the first several pore volumes flushed through the aquifers. The current vertical distributions of the various I species likely represent a quasi-steady state between I mobilization and leaching. These new mechanistic insights into the dynamic hydrogeological-(bio)geochemical processes support secure groundwater use in the I-affected northern arid basins.

Anion exchange on hydrous zirconium oxide materials: application for selective iodate removal

The radioactive ¹²⁹I is a top-priority radionuclide due to its the long half-life (1.57 × 10⁷ years) and high mobility. Because of the planned and accidental releases to the environment, specific separation technologies are required to limit the potential radiation dose to human beings. Zirconium oxides are known for their adsorption capability and selectivity to oxyanions and here the applicability to selective IO₃ ^- removal has been investigated regarding the uptake mechanism, regeneration and competition caused by other anions, like environmentally relevant SO₄ ^2-. Granular aggregates of hydrous zirconium oxides with and without Sb doping showed high potential for the selective IO₃ ^- removal in the presence of competing anions, like the forementioned SO₄ ^2- (apparent capacity between 0.1-0.4 meq g^-1 depending on SO₄ ^2- concentration). The main uptake mechanism was found to be outer-sphere complexation (ion-exchange) to the protonated hydroxyl groups of hydrous zirconium oxides, but also minor mechanisms were identified including inner-sphere complexation and reduction to I^-. The materials were observed to be easily and successively regenerated using dilute acid. Hydrous zirconium oxides showed high potential for IO₃ ^- removal from waste solutions regarding technical (high selectivity and apparent capacity) and ecological/economic (feasible regeneration) aspects.

Review of recent developments in iodine wasteform production

Radioiodine capture and immobilization is not only important to consider during the operation of reactors (i.e., I-131), during nuclear accidents (i.e., I-131 and I-129) or nuclear fuel reprocessing (i.e., I-131 and I-129), but also during disposal of nuclear wastes (i.e., I-129). Most disposal plans for I-129-containing waste forms (including spent nuclear fuel) propose to store them in underground repositories. Here, iodine can be highly mobile and, given its radiotoxicity, needs to be carefully managed to minimize long-term environmental impacts arising from disposal. Typically, any process that has been used to capture iodine from reprocessing or in a reactor is not suitable for direct disposal, rather conversion into a wasteform for disposal is required. The objectives of these materials are to use either chemical immobilization or physical encapsulation to reduce the leaching of iodine by groundwaters. Some of the more recent ideas have been to design capture materials that better align with disposal concepts, making the industrial processing requirements easier. Research on iodine capture materials and wasteforms has been extensive. This review will act as both an update on the state of the research since the last time it was comprehensively summarized, and an evaluation of the industrial techniques required to create the proposed iodine wasteforms in terms of resulting material chemistry and applicability.

Effectiveness of enriching lettuce with iodine using 5-iodosalicylic and 3,5-diiodosalicylic acids and the chemical composition of plants depending on the type of soil in a pot experiment

Iodine is a beneficial element for humans, animals and plants. This study was a comparison of the effectiveness of iodosalicylate uptake by lettuce. The experiment included two sub-blocks: organic soil and mineral soil with the addition of the same fertigation of plants (8 times every 7 days) with 10 µM solutions (100 mL/per one plant/one application) of potassium iodate (KIO3), salicylic acid (SA) alone or together with KIO3, 5-iodosalicylic acid (5-ISA) or 3,5-diiodosalicylic acid (3,5-diISA). None of the tested iodine compounds negatively affected the yield of lettuce. When growing plants on mineral soil, plants accumulated more iodine in the leaves than plants grown on peat substrate. The use of 5-ISA allowed for achieving better efficiency of plant biofortification in iodine than the application of KIO3 and 3,5-diISA. The type of soil significantly modified the chemical composition of lettuce.

The mechanism of iodine enrichment in groundwater from the North China Plain: insight from two inland and coastal aquifer sediment boreholes

As an element relevant to human health, iodine is highly worthy of researchers' attention, especially the mechanism of iodine migration and enrichment in groundwater systems. A total of 43 groundwater, 1 seawater, 107 sediment, and 111 pore water samples from two boreholes (toward to Bohai Sea: BT, HH) were collected along a groundwater flow path at the North China Plain to investigate hydro-geochemical processes controlling groundwater iodine. High iodine groundwater (> 100 μg/L) was characterized by Na-Cl type, with high TDS values (827-2,400 mg/L) and high Cl (110-705 mg/L) and Br (416-1,180 μg/L) concentrations, which may be related to marine influence. Borehole BT and HH had pore water I concentration ranges of 1.4-132 μg/L and 3.6-830 μg/L, with high level that occurred near to coastline and corresponded to ancient transgression events. The results of sequential extraction of borehole sediments indicate that the fractions of sediment inorganic iodine mainly consisted of exchangeable, carbonate, and Fe-oxides associated fractions. Fe-oxides associated iodine was the main occurrence state in borehole BT far from the coastline, but high exchangeable iodine fractions (up to 92% of total extracted iodine) were observed in a high salinity borehole HH located near Bohai Bay, corresponding to the occurrence of high iodine pore water and groundwater. The analysis of iodine species indicates that iodide with strong migration ability dominated high iodine groundwater, pore water, and exchangeable sediment iodine, reflecting the occurrence of adsorption/desorption processes of iodine in groundwater system. High iodine groundwater and pore water exhibited iodine enrichment relative to Cl and Br, which suggests that iodine adsorbed on sediment desorbed under suitable pH and high solution ionic strength and subsequently released to pore water and aquifers. Inverse geochemical modeling stressed that ion exchange plays an important role in iodine enrichment of groundwater system.

The behavior of iodine in stabilized granular activated carbon and silver mordenite in cementitious waste forms

Both granular activated carbon (GAC) and silver mordenite (AgM) are utilized for the removal of contaminants and radionuclides (e.g., radioiodine) from off-gas streams in nuclear fuel reprocessing and high temperature immobilization of nuclear waste. Following their service lifetimes, the GAC and AgM contain an inventory of contaminants and radionuclides and require stabilization in a matrix for disposal. GAC and AgM are referred to as solid secondary waste (SSW) materials. Cementitious waste forms can be used as the stabilization matrix for SSW, however, for successful stabilization, the inclusion of GAC and AgM should not negatively impact the physical behavior of the cementitious waste form or increase release of the contaminants/radionuclides compared to the baseline case without stabilization. The present work focuses on evaluation of cement formulations, with and without slag, for the stabilization of iodine-loaded GAC or AgM. The results showed that both a slag-containing and slag-free formulations were able to stabilize GAC and AgM, up to 30 vol%, without deleterious impacts on the bulk physical properties of the encapsulating matrix. When monolithic samples of the GAC or AgM containing cement formulations were subjected to leach tests, it was observed that iodide leached from the SSW) had limited sorption to either of the cement matrices. Nonetheless, the iodine can interact with the SSW materials themselves. Specifically, iodine retention within monolithic samples containing the iodine-loaded GAC or AgM was improved for AgM containing waste forms while no improvement was observed for the GAC containing waste forms. The improvement for the AgM containing waste forms was likely due to an enrichment of Ag at the interface between the AgM particles and the cement matrix that can impede iodine migration out from the waste form. The results are significant in highlighting the potential for long-term retention of iodine in specific cementitious waste forms.

Local environment of iodine dissolved as iodate in high-pressure aluminoborosilicate glasses: A I K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopic study

The use of high-pressure synthesis conditions to produce I-bearing aluminoborosilicate represent a promising issue for the immobilization of 129I radioisotope. Furthermore, iodine appears to be more solubilized in glasses under its iodate (I5+) form rather than its iodide (I-) form. Currently, the local atomic environment for iodine is poorly constrained for I- and virtually unknown for I5+ or I7+. We used I K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy conducted at 20 K for determining the local atomic environment of iodine dissolved as I-, I5+, I7+ in a series of aluminoborosilicate glasses. We determined that I- is surrounded by either Na+ or Ca2+ in agreement with previous works. The signal collected from EXAFS reveals that I5+ is surrounded invariably by three oxygen atoms forming a IO3- cluster charge compensated by Na+ and/or Ca2+. The I-O distance in iodate dissolved in glass is comparable to the I-O distance in crystalline compounds at ~1.8 Å. The distance to the second nearest neighbor (Na+ or Ca2+) is also constant at ~3.2 Å. This derived distance is identical to the distance between I- and Na+ or Ca2+ in the case of iodide local environment. For one sample containing iodate and periodate, the distinction between the local environment of I5+ and I7+ could not be made suggesting that both environments have comparable EXAFS signal.

Facile synthesis of novel Bi0-SBA-15 adsorbents by an improved impregnation reduction method for highly efficient capture of iodine gas

Development of high efficient adsorbents to capture iodine is of great significance for the active development of nuclear power. Herein, Bi⁰-SBA-15 was firstly synthesized and applied for capture of iodine gas. Bi⁰-SBA-15 materials were prepared by an improved impregnation reduction method. The benefit of this method was that the Bi⁰ nanoparticles with flocculent and spherical morphologies were loaded on the surface of SBA-15, which provide abundant active sites for iodine and improve the utilization rate of active sites, so as to attain a record high capture capacity (up to 925 mg/g within 60 min) and high stablitiy (91.2%) at 200 °C. The results demonstrated that the loading of Bi⁰ on the surface showed a significant impact on the structure of Bi⁰-SBA-15 and did greatly enhance the iodine capture. Furthermore, the high iodine capture capacity mainly derived from the chemical adsorption in the stable form of BiI₃. The obtained Bi⁰-SBA-15 materials exhibited excellent aqueous and irradiation stability. Thus, the results indicated that the new and highly efficient Bi⁰-SBA-15 was a potential radioactive iodine gas capture material.

New iodine-apatites: synthesis and crystal structure

The paper describes methods for the preparation of compounds with an apatite structure containing only iodine atoms in the “halogen” position. The crystal structure of the compounds was refined by the Rietveld method. The resulting apatites have a structure with a space group P6₃/m and have the following unit cell parameters: Ba^4f_1.78(2)Ba^6h_2.75(2)(PO₄)₃I_0.04(2) (a = 10.18609(34) Å, c = 7.71113(30) Å, V = 692.889(54) ų, R = 5.448 %), Pb^4f_1.82(2)Pb^6h_2.75(2)(PO₄)₃I_0.13(2) (a = 9.87882(18) Å, c = 7.43222(16) Å, V = 628.144(26) ų, R = 8.533 %), Pb^4f_1.90(2)Pb^6h_2.68(2)(PO₄)₃I_0.16(2) (a = 9.87058(48) Å, c = 7.41255(46) Å, V = 625.437(72) ų, R = 5.433 %). The study of the crystal structure showed a relatively low efficiency of the binding of iodine in the apatite matrix.

Effective removal of iodate by coprecipitation with barite: Behavior and mechanism

Radioactive iodine (¹²⁹I) is of great concern owing to its high mobility in the environment and long-term radiotoxicity. However, there is a lack of effective techniques for removing iodate (IO₃^-) from aqueous solution. This study aims to develop a new technique for removing radioactive iodate from contaminated solution by using barite (BaSO₄). We examined the coprecipitation mechanism of iodate by barite at the molecular level to determine the optimum conditions for iodate removal. Results showed that iodate was effectively removed from the aqueous solution by coprecipitation even in the presence of competitive anions. Based on comparison of our method with previous techniques, the iodate removal efficiency by barite was determined to be about two orders of magnitude greater than that by hydrotalcite-like layered double hydroxide at 10 mmol L^-1 Cl^-. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis indicated that the incorporated iodate was strongly bound to the crystal lattice of barite by substituting the sulfate site in the structure when the iodine concentration was low. The charge compensation problem from the IO₃^- substitution in the SO₄^2- site was achieved by the substitution of Na⁺-IO₃^- pairs at the nearest Ba²⁺ site. Given the high removal efficiency and strong binding of iodate to barite, coprecipitation with barite is a promising tool for removing radioactive iodate from various aqueous solutions contaminated with iodate.

Hybrid Sorbents for 129I Capture from Contaminated Groundwater

Radioiodine (¹²⁹I) poses a risk to the environment due to its long half-life, toxicity, and mobility. It is found at the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site due to legacy releases of nuclear wastes to the subsurface where ¹²⁹I is predominantly present as iodate (IO₃^-). To date, a cost-effective and scalable cleanup technology for ¹²⁹I has not been identified, with hydraulic containment implemented as the remedial approach. Here, novel high-performing sorbents for ¹²⁹I remediation with the capacity to reduce ¹²⁹I concentrations to or below the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard and procedures to deploy them in an ex-situ pump and treat (P&T) system are introduced. This includes implementation of hybridized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) beads for ex-situ remediation of IO₃^--contaminated groundwater for the first time. Iron (Fe) oxyhydroxide and bismuth (Bi) oxyhydroxide sorbents were deployed on silica substrates or encapsulated in porous PAN beads. In addition, Fe-, cerium (Ce)-, and Bi-oxyhydroxides were encapsulated with anion-exchange resins. The PAN-bismuth oxyhydroxide and PAN-ferrihydrite composites along with Fe- and Ce-based hybrid anion-exchange resins performed well in batch sorption experiments with distribution coefficients for IO₃^- of >1000 mL/g and rapid removal kinetics. Of the tested materials, the Ce-based hybrid anion-exchange resin was the most efficient for removal of IO₃^- from Hanford groundwater in a column system, with 50% breakthrough occurring at 324 pore volumes. The functional amine groups on the parent resin and amount of active sorbent in the resin can be customized to improve the iodine loading capacity. These results highlight the potential for IO₃^- remediation by hybrid sorbents and represent a benchmark for the implementation of commercially available materials to meet EPA standards for cleanup of ¹²⁹I in a large-scale P&T system.