Removal of 137Cs and 90Sr from low-level radioactive effluents by hexacyanoferrate loaded synthetic 4A type zeolite

Copper hexacyanoferrate was imbued on pores of synthetic zeolite and the formation of needle shaped copper hexacyanoferrate microcrystals was confirmed by XRD and SEM. Batch equilibrations showed that the sorbent has good affinity for Cs and Sr which was further confirmed from column studies. It is established that a substantial amount (> 8000 bed volumes) of low level waste contaminated with Cs-137 and Sr-90 can be treated in fixed bed column. The sorbent, owing to its low cost, simple preparation process and excellent Cs-137 and Sr-90 removal performance, is expected to find wide spread application in nuclear industry.