Mitigation of radionuclide deposition in contaminated water: effects of pH on coprecipitation of Cs(I) and Sr(II) with Fe(III) in aqueous solutions

In the present study, the amounts of caesium and strontium were quantified in the precipitates formed in solutions of sodium hydroxide and iron(III), caesium, and strontium chlorides in the pH range of 7–13. At pH 8 or lower, less caesium and strontium were found in the precipitates. It was verified that for water radioactively contaminated after a severe accident at a nuclear power plant, both iodine volatilization and metal coprecipitation with iron(III) hydroxide can be minimized at ambient temperature by maintaining the water pH near 7.