Simultaneous selective removal of cesium and cobalt from water using calcium alginate-zinc ferrocyanide-Cyanex 272 composite beads.

Composite beads consisting of Ca alginate mixed with zinc ferrocyanide (ZnFC) and Cyanex 272 were synthesized in order to selectively adsorb Cs+ and Co2+ from water. Their physicochemical properties of the synthesized composite beads were characterized using various techniques, including FESEM, EDX, FTIR, and TGA. The ZnFC/Cyanex 272/alginate (ZCA) composite beads were then tested as an adsorbent for the selective removal of Cs+ and Co2+ from an aqueous solution. The adsorption capacity increased with increasing ZnFC and Cyanex 272 contents. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. The ZCA composite beads exhibited excellent selectivity toward Cs+ and Co2+ even in the presence of competitive cations (K+, Na+, Fe2+, and Ni2+). The adsorption capacity of the ZCA composite beads for Cs+ and Co2+ was almost maintained after three times of adsorption-desorption process.