Investigations on sorption performance of some radionuclides, heavy metals and lanthanides using mesoporous adsorbent material H. E. Rizk 1 • Mohamed F. Attallah 1 • A. M. I. Ali 1 Received: 1 October 2017 / Published online: 11 November 2017 Ó Akade ´miai Kiado ´, Budapest, Hungary 2017 Abstract Synthesis and characterization of potassium zinc hexacyanoferrate (KZnFC) as nano ion exchanger material are performed. Sorption characterization investigations on the removal of some radionuclides ( 134 Cs, 60 Co), heavy metal (Pb 2? ) and lanthanides (Ce 3? and Gd 3? ) from aqueous and nitric acid solutions using mesoporous KZnFC ion exchange have been done. Selective removal of 134 Cs rather than 60 Co and Ce 3? (lanthanides) is achieved in aqueous solution and nitric acid solution, respectively. The maximum sorption capacity of 134 Cs, 60 Co, Pb 2? , Ce 3? and Gd 3? is 170, 10.5, 3.88, 0.72 and 0.55 mg/g, respectively, onto nano-material of KZnFC. Keywords Equilibrium  Kinetic  Ion exchange  Removal  Capacity and sorption Introduction Cesium and Cobalt are the most abundant radionuclides in nuclear fission products that are routinely or accidentally released. They have relatively long half-life and are con- sidered as hazardous elements for the environment. Vari- ous methods such as evaporation, ion exchange and chemical precipitation are applied for the treatment of aqueous waste solutions containing these ions [1–4]. 137 Cs and 135 Cs are the longest half-life of cesium isotopes with 30.16 years and 2.3 million years, respectively. 137 Cs is produced from nuclear weapons testing and in thermal reactors. 134 Cs has a 2.065 years half-life, and it is pro- duced as an activation product in nuclear reactors. It has been found that cesium is tightly bound by the clay min- erals of the soil that root uptake is slight. Therefore, foliar absorption is the main portal of entry of 137 Cs to the food chains. The uptake of Cs from the soil has been shown to be inversely proportional to the K content of soils in which there is a potassium deficiency [5]. In aqueous solution, cesium is hydrated and the exchange of water between the hydrated ion and the sol- vent is extremely rapid. Although there is evidence for the formation of weak complexes of alkali metal ion in aque- ous solution yet the isolation of solid complexes from this medium is very difficult. For this reason, it is much preferable to work in organic solvents [6]. Cobalt-60 (T 1/2 = 5.272 years) is formed in a nuclear fission process during the operation of a nuclear power reactor by activation of 59 Co present as an impurity in the metal for which the structural parts of the fuel assemblies are made. The decay energies of 60 Co are E b = 0.314 MeV, and E c = 1.173 and 1.332 MeV [7]. Because of higher energies of c-radiation and long half-life, large quantities of cobalt-60 are used as c-ray sources for various applications in research, industry and medicine [8]. In the simple cobalt compounds, the divalent forms are more stable. Cobaltous ion, Co 2? is basic and generally exists in a hydrolyzed form. Cobalt is of biological significance because it forms organic complexes under favorable con- ditions. The release of cobalt into the environment includes the deposition and retention in the sediment which due to a partial fixed by the humic materials present and a part deposited as a coagulant. [9]. & H. E. Rizk ahmhoda@gmail.com & Mohamed F. Attallah dr.m.f.attallah@gmail.com 1 Hot Laboratories Center, Atomic Energy Authority of Egypt, Abu Zaabal, P.O. Box 13759, Cairo, Egypt 123 J Radioanal Nucl Chem (2017) 314:2475–2487 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5620-4