Chemical behavior of cobalt and cesium in the presence of inorganic components of a semiarid soil using water of nuclear purity

• Inorganic components of soil were separated and characterized.
• Kinetics for Cs and Co indicates that the adsorption process is chemisorption.
• Isotherm were best adjusted to Langmuir model indicating homogeneous material.
• Ionic strength plays an important role in adsorption processes.
• Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption processes were exothermic.

The inorganic components of soil from a semiarid region were separated and characterized. Kinetics of adsorption of cesium and cobalt ions by the inorganic components of the soils behave according to the kinetic model of pseudo-second order, indicating that the adsorption process is chemisorption. Equilibriums were quickly reached in ca. 1 min, 98.6 ± 0.5% of cesium and 96 ± 1% of cobalt were retained in the solid from solutions. The sorption isotherm data, qevs. Ce, were best adjusted to the Langmuir model. The adsorption capacities for cobalt and cesium are similar from pH 4 to 8 and at higher pH cobalt precipitates as hydroxide. Ionic strength plays an important role in adsorption; even low concentrations of sodium (<0.1 M) virtually avoid the adsorption for cesium and cobalt. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption processes were exothermic for both cesium and cobalt by the inorganic materials of soil.