Simultaneous solid phase extraction of cobalt, strontium and cesium from liquid radioactive waste using microcrystalline naphthalene

Most of the procedures developed for the extrac- tion of cobalt, strontium and cesium by solid phase extrac- tion do not employ simultaneous extraction of them. In this study, rapid simultaneous removal of Co 2+ , Sr 2+ and Cs + on microcrystalline naphthalene as solid-phase ex- tractant was investigated. These ions were allowed to form chelates with oxine and then adsorbed on freshly micro- crystalline naphthalene from aqueous solutions. The solid phase extraction procedure (SPE) was optimized by using model solution containing Co 2+ , Sr 2+ and Cs + in batch system. The effects of different parameters such as varia- tion in pH, reagent concentration, standing time, naphtha- lene solution concentration and contact time on the simul- taneous removal of these ions was studied. The obtained results indicated that, sorption was found to be rapid, and the percentage removal ofCo 2+ , Sr 2+ and Cs + was found to be 98, 79 and 68% within 10 min, respectively. The kinet- ics of the sorption process was investigated to understand the kinetic characteristics of sorption of metal chelates onto microcrystalline naphthalene. The developed proce- dure has been successfully applied to the removal and re- covery of 60 Co and 134 Cs from liquid radioactive waste.