Sequestration of radioactive nickel in fly ash by incorporating nanogoethite

Sequestration of radioactive nickel (Ni-63(2+)) in fly ash coming from hospital wastes incineration plant by incorporating nano-goethite as a function of pH, particle size and the ratio of solid and liquid was investigated under the batch leaching experiments. The synthetic nanogoethite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and specific surface area (SSA). The admired needle nanogoethite was obtained in terms of XRD, TEM and SSA analysis. Approximate 5% of Ni-63(2+) was desorbed from the nanogoethite/fly ash composite under the circum natural pH conditions. The ratio of solid to liquid has little effect on desorption of Ni-63(2+) from nanogoethite/fly ash composite. These results indicate that the radioactive nickel in fly ash can be sequestrated by incorporating nanogoethite. The results may play significantly a role in immobilization in situ of trace radionuclides in the natural environment.