Arab J. Nucl. Sci. Appl., Vol. XX, X, XX -XX (2022) Characterization of Some Synthesis Irradiated and Non-Irradiated Sorbent Materials Omar S. Khalifa 1 , Hassan H. Abbas 2 , Magdy A. Rizk 1 , Mostafa A. Zahran 1 , Mohamed A. AbdelSalam 2 , Maha M. Ali 2 , Ibrahim A. Mousa 1 and Mamdouh F. Abdelsabour 1* (1) Soil and water researches Department, Nuclear Researches Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt (2) Soil and Water Department., Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Egypt A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Received: 28 th Jan. 2022 Accepted: 14 th June 2022 Different synthesized materials either irradiated or non-irradiated were examined in the laboratory to identify its characteristics as efficient absorbers in removing Pb, Cd, and Cu from contaminated water. Bio-based polymers are gaining overwhelming interest and recognition worldwide due to the health, safety, and environmental concerns associated with the conventional synthetic polymers. These bio-based polymers are renewable, biodegradable, and environmentally-friendly. The characterization analysis confirmed the successful synthesis of the investigated materials. The processing of rice straw was effective in removing silica and hemicellulose and leaving microcrystalline cellulose with an accepted level of purification. Vulcanized used fried oil was efficient to produce polysulphide polymer. Results gained from this laboratory work indicated that irradiated sorbents were more effective on the sorption of Pb, Cd and Cu especially those exposed to lower doses compared to the non-irradiated sorbents. At a high gamma ray dose (50 KGy), some sorbents showed inhabitation effect on sorption behavior and also removal efficiencies. It can be concluded that rice straw and fried oil can be used to synthesize suitable sorbents to remove contaminants from the water, and gamma radiation treatment was effective to improve contaminants removal. Keywords: Gamma Irradiation, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Potential Toxic Elements, Spongy Polysulfide Polymer, Synthesis Sorbent Materials. INTRODUCTION Fresh water scarcity in addition to simultaneous increase in the amount of wastewater is an alarming issue. The gap between demand and availability of water is accounted for about 13.5 Bm 3 /yr. Recycling and Reuse of treated wastewater in the agriculture sector can reduce this gap and minimize the dependent on freshwater resources [1-2]. Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) abundant in industrial discharged water, pesticides and nutrient elements (N, P, K, and others) are found in agricultural drainage water [3-5]. Tested water samples collected from greater Cairo water bodies (near to industrial zones including Shoubra El-Khima and Mostorod) had a high level of PTEs, especially Pb, Cd, Cu, and Ni [6]. Long- term irrigated soils with domestic and industrial wastewater in Elgabal Elasfar area recorded a high accumulation of PTEs such as Pb and Cu [1]. Biomass and biomaterials from agricultural byproducts are being widely used for adsorption with or without modification. Their natural adsorption abilities without modification can sometimes be quite efficient. New bio- sorbents are being studied which would offer metal recovery, low costs, and minimum requirements of secondary waste treatment arising from the adsorption process [7]. In this respect, agricultural wastes are promising materials for the removal of PTEs from their aqueous solutions [8]. Searching for sustainable materials that can decontaminate PTEs from wastewater became a necessity. In this regard, some researchers reported that cellulose can be modified physically and chemically to form different materials, which can be used for waste treatment. Cellulose-based materials have natural binding capacity for metal ions [9-10]. Cellulose is a crystallization material with an abundance of hydroxyl groups [11]. The rice husk could be used for the adsorption of lead and copper ions as reported by Vieira et al. [12] while other researchers [13] used rice husk and rice straw for the adsorption of Hg(II) after treatment with NaOH. In a comparative study [14], two cellulose Corresponding author: wise2007egy@yahoo.com DOI: 10.21608/ajnsa.2022.118786.1549 ©Scientific Information, Documentation and Publishing Office (SIDPO)-EAEA (E S N S A) ISSN 1110-0451 Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications Web site: ajnsa.journals.ekb.eg