Design and characterization of hierarchical aluminosilicate composite materials for Cs entrapment: Adsorption efficiency tied to microstructure

The growing quantity of nuclear waste and the serious threats to the environment challenge researchers to innovate and target new waste form technologies. In the past decades, considerable efforts have been devoted to developing highly selective sorbents followed by safe disposal with the assurance of chemical stability and robust retention performance. Zeolite-containing geopolymers are regarded as a possible 2-in-1 material able to both capture and sequester elements such as Cs in bed fixed column application perspective. These composites show promise for combining extraction properties of zeolite powder due to its crystalline structure (high capacity and selective adsorption), with the tunable microstructure and the shaping feasibility of the geopolymer binder. For the development of materials devoted to Cs immobilization, porous zeolite/geopolymer composites were prepared by dispersing NaY zeolite particles in a geopolymer binder. The influence of the structural properties of such composites on their ability to entrap a large amount of Cs by an ionic exchange process was notably studied. Composites' compositions, porosities, morphologies and crystallinity were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption/desorption studies. Experimental Cs sorption in batch mode was used to follow the ionic exchange phenomenon in these materials. Along with 5 wt% amount of zeolite in geopolymer improves the Cs adsorption performance offering multiple new adsorption sites. Additionally, the geopolymer mesopores are beneficial facilitating the access of Cs and its role as a binder is advantageous to tailor granular hierarchical structure for safer industrial application.