Constructing porous ZnFC-PA/PSF composite spheres for highly efficient Cs+ removal

Radioisotope leaking from nuclear waste has become an intractable problem due to its gamma radiation and strong water solubility. In this work, a novel porous ZnFC-PA/PSF composite sphere was fabricated by immobilization of ferrocyanides modified zinc phytate into polysulfone (PSF) substrate for the treatment of Cs-contaminated water. The maximum adsorption capacity of ZnFC-PA/PSF was 305.38 mg/g, and the removal efficiency of Cs + was reached 94.27% within 2 hr. The ZnFC-PA/PSF presented favorable stability with negligible dissolution loss of Zn 2+ and Fe 2+ (< 2%). The ZnFC-PA/PSF achieved high-selectivity towards Cs + ( K d  = 2.24×10 4 mL/g) even in actual geothermal water. The adsorption mechanism was inferred to be the ion-exchange between Cs + and K + . What's more, ZnFC-PA/PSF worked well in the fixed-bed adsorption ( E  = 91.92%), indicating the application potential for the hazardous Cs + removal from wastewater.