Constructing porous ZnFC-PA/PSF composite spheres for highly efficient Cs+ removal

Radioisotope leaking from nuclear waste has become an intractable problem due to its gamma radiation and strong water solubility. In this work, a novel porous ZnFC-PA/PSF composite sphere was fabricated by immobilization of ferrocyanides modified zinc phytate into polysulfone (PSF) substrate for the treatment of Cs-contaminated water. The maximum adsorption capacity of ZnFC-PA/PSF was 305.38 mg/g, and the removal efficiency of Cs+ was reached 94.27% within 2 hr. The ZnFC-PA/PSF presented favorable stability with negligible dissolution loss of Zn2+ and Fe2+ (< 2%). The ZnFC-PA/PSF achieved high-selectivity towards Cs+ (Kd = 2.24×104 mL/g) even in actual geothermal water. The adsorption mechanism was inferred to be the ion-exchange between Cs+ and K+. What's more, ZnFC-PA/PSF worked well in the fixed-bed adsorption (E = 91.92%), indicating the application potential for the hazardous Cs+ removal from wastewater.

Copper ferrocyanide chemically immobilized onto a polyvinylidene fluoride hollow-fibre membrane surface for the removal of aqueous cesium

A method of chemically bonding copper ferrocynide (CuFC) to the surface of a PVDF hollow-fibre membrane (PVDF-CuFC) was designed and the resulting PVDF-CuFC was applied to the effective removal of aqueous cesium (Cs). In order to chemically immobilize CuFC on the surface of the PVDF hollow-fibre membrane, carboxyl groups were introduced onto the membrane surface (PVDF-COOH) to peptide bond with amine groups from CuFC. The introduction of the carboxyl group onto the surface of the PVDF hollow-fibre membrane was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), while the immobilization of CuFC was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersed spectroscopy, FT-IR, and thermogravimetric analysis. The PVDF-CuFC showed higher Cs adsorption kinetics and adsorption capacity than PVDF-COOH. Moreover, as the initial pH increased, the amount of Cs adsorption by PVDF-CuFC also increased. However, the amount of Cs adsorption at pH 10 was slightly less. The applicability of PVDF-CuFC as a filter type adsorbent for the treatment of a Cs-contaminated water source is demonstrated by continuous filtration experiments.