Cesium ion-exchange resin using sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate for binding to Prussian blue

Radioactive Cs ions are extremely harmful to the human body, causing cancers and other diseases. Treatments were performed on radioactive Cs present in wastewater after use in industrial or medical fields. Prussian blue (PB) has been widely used for the removal of Cs ions from water but its colloidal structure hinders reuse, making it problematic for practical use. To solve this problem, we used a commercial macroporous polymer resin as a PB matrix. To provide an efficient anchor for PB, the surface of the polymer resin was decorated with sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate to produce a negatively charged surface. The successful chemical binding between the polymer resin and PB prevented leakage of the latter during adsorption and crosslinked structure of the matrix provided regeneration of the adsorbent. The adsorbent maintained its removal efficiency after five repeats of the regeneration process. The PB-based, Cs ion-exchange resin showed excellent selectivity toward Cs ions and good reusability, maintaining its high adsorption capacity.