In situ growth of Prussian blue nanocrystal within Fe3+ crosslinking PAA resin for radiocesium highly efficient and rapid separation from water.

A new nanocomposite, called FPPB, was prepared by the in situ synthesis of a Prussian blue (PB) nanocrystal within Fe 3+ crosslinking poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) resin for the highly efficient and rapid separation of radiocesium from water. The adsorption of Cs + by FPPB follows the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm model with distribution coefficients touched 1.15 × 10 5 mL/g and a good adsorption capacity of 72.47 mg/g (pH ≈ 7). FPPB displays high adsorption capacity for Cs + capture under a wide pH range (4.0–10). The kinetics of Cs + uptake by FPPB is fast (>90% elimination capacity of relatively low Cs + concentrations during only 20 min of Cs + /FPPB contact) and fit well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. This should be attributed to the high dispersion of PB nanoparticles. The adsorption Cs + from complex solutions containing various competitive cations in large excess was also effective. FPPB is a cost-effective sorbent and could be developed by only stirring using environmental friendly and inexpensive materials at room temperature. Furthermore, the FPPB-Cs + can be easily retrieved from water with sieve. It is expected that the as-prepared FPPB has extensive applicability in the elimination of radiocesium from nuclear wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]