Binary and Ternary Polymer–Strontium Complexes and the Capture of Radioactive Strontium-90 from the Polluted Soil of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site L. K. Orazzhanova, 1 M. G. Yashkarova, 1 L. A. Bimendina, 2 S. E. Kudaibergenov 2 1 Institute of Chemical Ecological Problems, Semipalatinsk Shakarim State University, Tanirbergenov Strasse 1, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 2 Institute of Polymer Materials and Technology, Satpaev Strasse 18a, 480013, Almaty, Kazakhstan Received 27 August 2001; accepted 29 April 2002 ABSTRACT: The interaction of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with strontium ions and the binding of strontium ions by equimolar interpolymer com- plexes (IPCs) of PAA and PEG were studied. The stability constants of binary polymer–metal complexes were deter- mined. Aqueous solutions of IPCs of PAA and PEG were applied as soil structuring agents in model and real experi- ments. The ability of IPCs to capture radioactive strontium ions from the polluted soil of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site was established. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 759 –764, 2003 Key words: water soluble polymers; association; composites INTRODUCTION Interpolymer 1–4 and polymer–metal 5–8 complexes are widely known and have been studied in different aspects. The application of interpolymer complexes (IPCs) for environmental protection has at least two important applications. One of them is to combat against the wind and water migration of radionuclides from polluted soils. The second one is to accumulate radioactive elements contained in the soil within IPCs. Earlier, Kabanov and Zezin 9 successfully used aque- ous solutions of polyelectrolyte complexes for the sed- imentation and cementation of radioactive dusts of the Chernobyl disaster. Researchers 10,11 have investigated the sorption of strontium and cesium from the soil by polyelectrolyte complexes based on poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(N,N-dimethyldiallylammonium chlo- ride). This study was devoted to an investigation of the interaction of PAA and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with strontium ions and the ability of IPCs stabilized by a cooperative system of hydrogen bonds to aggre- gate soil particles and capture radioactive strontium- 90. The effectiveness of IPCs was studied in model and real conditions. EXPERIMENTAL Materials PAA with a weight-average molecular weight (M w ) of 250  10 3 and PEG with a M w of 600  10 3 were purchased from Polysciences, Inc. (Warrington, PA) and were used without purification. Reagent-grade SrCl 2  6H 2 O was used without additional purification. Reagent-grade solvents were used. Instrumentation Potentiometric and conductimetric titration was car- ried out on a pH/conductivity meter (Mettler Toledo MPS 227, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland) at room tem- perature. The viscosity of the polymer solutions was measured with an Ubbelohde viscometer (Institute of Chemical Sciences, Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan). The con- centration of strontium ions in soil was determined with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Quant Zeta of Kortek, Moscow, Russia). The polymer–metal complexes and IPCs were obtained by mixing aqueous solutions of interacting components. Preparation of the soil sample for analysis 12,13 Soil samples were taken from the different places in the Semipalatinsk region. All of the samples were mixed carefully, and for further investigation, 1 kg of sample was taken. This sample was placed as a thin layer on the paper sheet and was dried in a box containing the filtered air. After drying, the sample was weighed, placed on the paper sheet, and divided Correspondence to: L. A. Bimendina (ipmt-kau@usa.net). Contract grant sponsor: International Association for the promotion of co-operation with scientists from the New Independent States of the Former Soviet Union; contract grant numbers: INTAS-KZ-0031; INTAS-1746. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 87, 759 –764 (2003) © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.