Sorption methods in marine radiochemistry

The review presents the general methodology of using sorption methods to solve problems of marine radiochemistry, including sampling, preconcentration and radiochemical preparation and methods for measuring the activity of radionuclides. The possible methodological errors at various stages of sampling and sample concentration are discussed. The most widely used artificial (90Sr, 134Cs, 137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu), natural (210Pb, 210Po; radium quartet: 223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra, 228Ra; thorium isotopes, mainly 234Th) and cosmogenic (7Be, 32P, 33P) radiotracers are considered. The sorption of uranium from seawater is not addressed, since its concentration in seawater is usually calculated from the known dependence of uranium concentration on seawater salinity.

The bibliography includes 200 references.

Decontamination of seawater from 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides using inorganic sorbents

In this work, we have studied sorption of ¹³⁷Сs and ⁹⁰Sr radionuclides from seawater under batch conditions by ferrocyanide sorbents based on hydrated titanium and zirconium dioxides (Т-35, NPF-HTD), clinoptilolite and glauconite (NPF-GL, NPF-CL) natural aluminosilicates, zirconium phosphate (T-3A), modified hydrated titanium dioxide (T-3K) as well as by manganese dioxide based on hydrated titanium dioxide (MD-HTD). Isotherms of sorption and dependences of cesium distribution coefficients on salt content and calcium concentration were obtained. Distribution coefficients of cesium and strontium were calculated. Stability of spent sorbents against radionuclides leaching was studied in from the point of view of their further treatment. The NPF-GL and NPF-HTD sorbents are recommended for treatment of seawater-based liquid radioactive waste with various salinity; these sorbents possess high distribution coefficients of cesium 10⁴ and 10⁵ ml/g even at the salinity of waste as high as 100 g L^-1. Distribution coefficients of strontium from seawater were (1.0-1.9)·10² ml/g for all sorbents that is conditioned by the presence of colloidal species of strontium (34 ± 7%) in the simulated seawater. Capacities of the sorbents for strontium varied within 200-310 mg/g. The sorbents strongly retain adsorbed radionuclides: the total percentage of leaching for 28 days was 4.4%, 2.2% and 3.1% for ¹³⁷Cs leaching from the NPF-HTD, T-35 and T-3A sorbents respectively and 10.7% for ⁹⁰Sr leaching from the NPF-CL sorbent.

A novel sorbent based on Ti-Ca-Mg phosphates: synthesis, characterization, and sorption properties

This work focuses on the synthesis procedure of a new sorbent based on a TiCaMg phosphate. The synthesis strategy includes stepwise interaction between solid precursors and phosphorus-containing agents. The solid precursors were ammonium titanyl sulfate and calcined dolomite, which were used as titanium, calcium, and magnesium sources. The effect of the nature and concentration of phosphoric agent on the sorbent composition and properties has been investigated using elemental analysis, TG, XRD, IR spectroscopy, BET, and SEM techniques. The novel sorbent has been demonstrated to be a composite material consisting of the following components: TiO(OH)H₂PO₄·H₂O, Ti(HPO₄)₂·H₂O, CaHPO₄·2H₂O, MgНPO₄·3H₂O, and NH₄MgPO₄·6H₂O. The ratio between these phases in the composite depends on synthesis conditions. The optimal conditions, ensuring full conversion of Ti, Ca, and Mg containing in the initial precursors into the final product, have been found. The sorption properties of the obtained composite sorbent towards Co²⁺, Cs⁺, and Sr²⁺ cations and their radionuclide analogues have been studied. The obtained data has indicated that the purification effect was based on both precipitation and ion exchange mechanism. The combined action of the individual components of the composite sorbent ensures its high sorption capacity towards different cations in a wide pH range. The new sorbent shows high sorption ability towards radionuclides in multicomponent liquid radioactive waste (LRW) systems, and the distribution coefficient of the studied radionuclides was found to be 10⁵ mL g^-1. The presence of different types of functional groups in the composite sorbent allows realizing the one-step purification process of LRW that, in turn, simplifies the sorption system design.