THE USE OF ZEOLIFEROUS ROCKS FROM METAXADES - THRACE, GREECE, FOR THEREMOVAL OF CESIUM FROM AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS

The Cs-removal from aqueous solutions by zeoliferous rocks from Metaxa des region (Thrace, Greece) was investigated using a batch-type method and radiotracer techniques. The concentration of the solutions varied between 1000 and 10 mg/l. The absolute Cs-uptake reached the value of 59.2 mg/g. The uptake distribution coefficients (K-d) indicated, that the relative uptake is higher for initial concentrations around 100 m g/l. The uptake is mainly attributed to ion-exchange processes on the microporous minerals as well as to adsorption processes on the surface of the micro- and non-microporous constituents of the rock samples.