Investigating the sorption behavior of Cesium and cobalt on soil samples.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Nuclear Chemistry Department, Hot laboratories Center, Atomic Energy Authority

2 Helwan Univeristy

3 AEA

Abstract

Two soil samples were collected from El-Dabaa site and denoted as DNS/C (Dabaa natural soil / Calcite) and DNS/Q (Dabaa natural soil / Quartz). They were characterized using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR) analysis and X-Ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis. The soil samples were applied as solid phases for retention of 134Cs and 60Co radionuclides from their aqueous solutions. The effect of different parameters as pH value, contact time, and competing ion on the sorption behavior of 134Cs and 60Co was studied in static conditions. The maximum sorption capacity of DNS/C was 1.16 and 4.28 mg.g-1 for Cs(I) and Co(II) ions, while it was 3.19 and 4.76 mg.g-1 for sorption of both metal ions onto DNS/Q respectively. Different kinetic models were applied to assess the sorption of Cs(I) and Co(II) ions from their aqueous solutions by soil samples. The sorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics clarifying that chemisorption could be regarded as the controlling step. The role of temperature on sorption of Cs(I) and Co(II) was studied and the values thermodynamic parameters (∆Ho, ΔGo and ΔSo) were determined. 34Cs radionuclides exhibited ∆Ho values amounted to -14.5416 and -13.0962 kJ.mol-1 for sorption onto DNS/C and DNS/Q samples. These negative values confirmed the exothermic nature of sorption process. The enthalpy change attained the values 25.3895 and 24.67368 kJ.mol-1 for 60Co radionuclide sorption onto the soil samples DNS/C and DNS/Q. These positive values confirmed the endothermic nature of sorption process.

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