Solid Phase Extraction of Cesium and Strontium Radionuclides Using Zeolite Packed Column

Radionuclides contaminated water is a serious issue for human beings and ecological systems. In particular, they cause various types of cancers and mutagenic affects. Removal of radionuclides from contaminated water is a challenging task, since efficient and cost-effective materials are required for extraction of radionuclides from water. Under this objective, modified zeolite beads (MZBs) were prepared and characterized. The beads were evaluated for extracting of cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) from contaminated water using column method. Breakthrough capacity (BC), total capacity (TC) and column efficiency (CE) obtained for Cs were 0.167, 0.279 g/g and 59.75% respectively. BC, TC and CE for obtained for Sr were 0.153, 0.239 g/g and 64.4% respectively. Based on these results, MZBs column can be used as radionuclides removal cartridge in water purifiers.