Comparison of Adsorption Capacity and Removal Efficiency of Strontium by Six Typical Adsorption Materials

The rapid development and application of nuclear technology have been accompanied by the production of large amounts of radioactive wastes, of which Sr is a typical nuclide. In this study, six typical materials with strong adsorption properties, namely activated carbon, kaolin, montmorillonite, bentonite, zeolite, and attapulgite, were selected. Their adsorption mechanisms were investigated by analyzing their adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, micromorphologies, element contents, specific surface areas, crystal structures, and functional groups. The results showed that the adsorption efficiency of Sr by the six adsorbents can be ranked as zeolite, bentonite, attapulgite, montmorillonite, activated carbon, and kaolin, among which the maximum adsorption capacity of zeolite was 4.07 mg/g. Based on the adsorption kinetic and thermodynamic fitting results, the adsorption of Sr by zeolites, bentonite and attapulgite is consistent with Langmuir model, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption process of Sr (II) by montmorillonite, activated carbon and kaolinite is consistent with the Freundlich model and corresponds to non-uniform adsorption. The main mechanisms of the six materials are physical adsorption, ion exchange and complexation. In summary, zeolite, bentonite, and attapulgite, especially zeolite, are highly effective for the treatment of radioactive wastewater containing strontium and have great application value in the treatment of radioactive wastes.