Porous composite CMC-KCuFC-PEG spheres for efficient cesium removal from wastewater

In this work, a highly stable porous composite CMC-KCuFC-PEG was prepared via the cross-linking reaction of biodegradable carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC) and potassium copper ferrocyanide (KCuFC) using polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000) as a porogen for Cs-137 removal from wastewater. The adsorption conditions including pH value, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial Cs+ concentration, temperature and competitive ions were systematically investigated, and the results demonstrated that this CMC-KCuFC-PEG was effective and stable in wastewater with a wide pH range (2-10) or NH4+. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cs+ was up to 149.8 mg g(-1). Moreover, adsorption kinetic and adsorption isotherm studies showed that the adsorption process of CMC-KCuFC-PEG was well-fitted by the linear pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich models, respectively. All the results suggest that CMC-KCuFC-PEG exhibits potential application for cesium removal from wastewater.