Cesium removal from drinking water using Prussian blue adsorption followed by anion exchange process

•Cesium removal from drinking water is tested with Prussian blue+ion exchange.•IE over PB granules in sand filter removed Cs and total cyanide from tap water.•PB column followed by IE column removed Cs and total cyanide from raw waters.•PB+IE can be used for emergency response for waterworks upon nuclear accident. Prussian blue (PB) was proposed to be an effective cesium (Cs) adsorbent for drinking waterwork; however, the release of PB fragments from PB adsorbent matrix poses threat to water quality. This study examined the feasibility of a PB+anion exchange (AE) process for decontamination of Cs-polluted drinking water. Two scenarios were tested: AE granules over PB granules in a stimulated sand filter and PB column followed by AE column in a full-scale waterworks. Both scenarios revealed complete removal of Cs and PB fragments from the treated drinking waters, suggesting that the PB+AE unit can be the core of emergency response plan for typical drinking waterworks at nuclear accident threat.