Eco-friendly polyvinyl alcohol/beeswax blend prepared using gamma irradiation for adsorption of cesium ions from an aqueous solution

The release of cesium ions in the environment is considered to be a dangerous pollutant. The present work deals with the gamma irradiation synthesis of novel adsorbent sustainable hydrogel from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/beeswax (BW) and its investigation for the uptake of cesium (I) from aqueous solutions. The characterization of synthesized PVA/BW hydrogel was provided by FTIR, SEM, XRD and gel content in addition to the water absorbency. The obtained results indicated that the prepared composite provides advantages over conventional preparation techniques. The batch technique experiments were occurred to investigate the adsorption kinetics, capacity, and optimum conditions for the uptake of cesium (I) by PVA/BW. The obtained data show that the maximum adsorption capacity of PVA/BW for cesium ion was estimated and it was provided at a contact time of 1.0 hr, pH = 3, and adsorbed dose of 0.10 g. The calculated thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption of cesium ions by PVA/BW was an endothermic and spontaneous process.