STUDIES ON SORPTION OF ANTIMONY AND EUROPIUM FROM LIQUID ORGANIC AND AQUEOUS RADIOACTIVE-WASTES ON DIFFERENT SORBENTS

Sorption of Sb-124(III) from benzene, toluene, o-xylene and nitrobenze ne on treated fly ash, pyrolysis residue and bentonite clay was studie d at room temperature using the batch method. In comparison to a forme r study for the sorption of Sb-124(V), the results revealed relatively higher sorption of the trivalent state than the pentavalent one, Acco rding to the type of the nonpolar solvent used, the order of uptake of the radioactive isotopes was often o-xylene greater than or equal to toluene > benzene. The sorption tendency of the sorbents used towards the radionuclides was: bentonite greater than or equal to pyrolysis re sidue > treated fly ash. Sorption from an aqueous medium on the same s orbents has also been investigated for Sb-124(III) compared to Sb-124( V), Eu-152(III) and their mixtures. The obtained results showed that t he order of uptake of the different radionuclides was: Eu(III) much gr eater than Sb(III) > Sb(V) > mixture. The investigation was extended t o the desorption studies of these radionuclides in the acidic and the neutral media from the dried radioactivity loaded sorbents.