Insights and Further Understanding of Radioactive Cesium Removal Using Zeolite, Prussian Blue and Graphene Oxide as Adsorbents

Abstract

The efficient removal of radioactive cesium (137Cs) from contaminated water around nuclear plants and/or after nuclear accidents has become an emerging issue since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Fukushima, Japan) disaster on March 11, 2011. Herein, we have demonstrated and compared the adsorption performances of both 137Cs and 133Cs using three potential adsorbents, zeolite (ZL), Prussian blue (PB) and graphene oxide (GO), in deionized water and simulated seawater. The adsorption efficiencies are determined in terms of the adsorbent amount, initial Cs concentration, and the effect of other competing ions in the system. In addition, the practical application of the materials was justified by evaluating the elution/retention of the adsorbed Cs with different volumes of solvent. Significantly, we illustrated a practical validation of a purification route for 137Cs-contaminated fly ash generated from nuclear power plant accidents, while PB can be a potential adsorbent for large-scale implementation.

SARS-CoV-2 suppression depending on the pH of graphene oxide nanosheets

“…Moreover, the broad intense band at around 3350 cm −1 indicates the presence of hydroxyl groups or water molecules adsorbed on the hydrophilic functional sites of GO. Clearly, GO (11) shows higher intensities for the peaks at 3350 and 1050 cm −1 corresponding to the -C-OH groups while the peak intensity for the -C]O and -C-O-Cfunctional groups at 1720 and 1290 cm −1 , respectively, decreases compared to that of GO (3).…”

“…GO, a carbon-based two-dimensional (2D) material, owing to its exclusive physical and chemical properties, shows impressive potential and possibilities in materials science with a wide area of application including an anti-SARS-CoV-2 response. [7][8][9][10][11][12] The structure of GO possesses a large ratio of oxygen-containing functional groups including epoxy, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups. [13][14][15] These functional groups of GO are believed to be attached to the positively charged SARS-CoV-2 viral particles and thereaer cause damage to the virus through the deactivation of the S and N (nucleocapsid) protein of the virus.…”

“…The pH of GO was adjusted to the values of 3, 7, and 11 using the appropriate amounts of HCl and ammonia solution. GO at pH 3, 7, and 11 are denoted as GO (3), GO (7) and GO (11), respectively. The prepared GO samples were characterized using FTIR, XPS, and solid-state 13 C-NMR analysis.…”

“…Fig. 1a presents the deconvoluted C 1s XPS spectra of GO (3), GO (7), and GO (11). The characteristic peaks for oxygenated functional groups include hydroxyl (C-OH), epoxy (C-O-C), carbonyl (-C] O), and carboxyl (-COOH) groups with peak intensity approximately at 286.4-286.6 eV, 286.8-287.0 eV, 287.8-288.0 eV and 289.0-289.3 eV, respectively.…”

“…The characteristic peaks for oxygenated functional groups include hydroxyl (C-OH), epoxy (C-O-C), carbonyl (-C] O), and carboxyl (-COOH) groups with peak intensity approximately at 286.4-286.6 eV, 286.8-287.0 eV, 287.8-288.0 eV and 289.0-289.3 eV, respectively. 21 Clearly, the peak intensity at 286.8-287.0 eV corresponding to the epoxy group is much higher in GO (3) compared to that of GO (11) indicating the presence of a large number of epoxy (C-O-C) groups in GO (3).…”