BINARY AND TERNARY ION-EXCHANGE EQUILIBRIA IN ZEOLITIZED TUFF - CS-SR-CO SYSTEM

Sorption isotherms for the ternary system Cs-Sr-Co using 'Nonscents,' a zeolitized volcanic tuff material from southeast Arizona, as sorbent were measured with a columnar flow technique. The isotherms were corr elated with an ion-exchange phase-equilibrium model, and the triangle rule of ion exchange has been validated. Sorbent-phase selectivity for the ternary system has been successfully predicted from a knowledge o f the selectivity of constituent binary pairs. The study helps in the understanding of multisolute sorption behavior during host rock-ground water interactions relevant to a high-level nuclear waste repository.