Behavior of nanobentonites in adsorption of cesium and strontium

Bentonites contain a large amount of montmorillonite and this nano-structured and nano-porous member of the smectite group determines the adsorption properties of bentonites. In this study, four types of Iranian commercial bentonite clays have been examined to determine the adsorption capacity of cesium and strontium. The physicochemical and mineralogical properties of the four types have been experimentally analyzed with the focus on the moisture content, pH, dry (granulometric) and wet screen analyses; swell, sediment and Methylene Blue (M.B.) indices; cation exchange capacity (C.E.C) measurements. The pH and C.E.C values of B3 were 9.48 and 71.9 mEq/100g, respectively. The high values of C.E.C; swell, sediment and M.B. indices along with the high amount of granulometric values (particles finer than 36 um) showed that the B3 had a high amount of montmorillonite. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis showed that the major of competing cations such as Ca2+ and K+ existing in B2 affects the Sr adsorption. The experimental analysis also showed that B2 had almost high pH and C.E.C values as well. The results of the separation process of Cs and Sr indicate that the B3 and B2 have the highest adsorption capacity of 59.75 and 45.5 for Cs and Sr adsorption, respectively.