Removal of 137 Cs and 152+154 Eu Using Hydroxyapatite Prepared from Mussel Shells

Abstract: Cesium-137 (137Cs) and europium-152+154 (152+154Eu) are the main species found in radioactive liquid wastes. Consequently, the study of their removal from wastewater was essential. For this purpose, hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles were produced from calcium-rich bio-wastes (mussel shells) by a wet chemical precipitation technique. The physicochemical properties, morphology and thermal behaviour of the HA nanoparticles were examined by XRD, FT-IR, SEM/EDX, TGA/DTA. In addition, the surface area was estimated using a nitrogen adsorption desorption isotherm. Afterwards, the adsorptive removal capacity of HA nanoparticles for 137Cs and 152+154Eu within the pH range of 2−12 from aqueous solutions was determined, and the sorbent dose and contact time were also considered. The current work utilized cost effective HA nanoparticles as a planned barrier for the removal of nuclear ions originating from radio reactor liquid wastes.