Simultaneous selective removal of cesium and cobalt from water using calcium alginate-zinc ferrocyanide-Cyanex 272 composite beads

Composite beads consisting of Ca alginate mixed with zinc ferrocyanide (ZnFC) and Cyanex 272 were synthesized in order to selectively adsorb Cs + and Co 2+ from water. Their physicochemical properties of the synthesized composite beads were characterized using various techniques, including FESEM, EDX, FTIR, and TGA. The ZnFC/Cyanex 272/alginate (ZCA) composite beads were then tested as an adsorbent for the selective removal of Cs + and Co 2+ from an aqueous solution. The adsorption capacity increased with increasing ZnFC and Cyanex 272 contents. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. The ZCA composite beads exhibited excellent selectivity toward Cs + and Co 2+ even in the presence of competitive cations (K + , Na + , Fe 2+ , and Ni 2+ ). The adsorption capacity of the ZCA composite beads for Cs + and Co 2+ was almost maintained after three times of adsorption-desorption process.