Equilibrium and kinetic studies of the sorption of cesium by potassium nickel hexacyanoferrate complex

Sorption of cesium from nitric acid medium by potassium nickel hexacyanoferrate, KNiFC, was investigated using the batch technique. The effect of hydrogen ion concentration on the distribution coefficient of cesium has been studied in the pH range 1-5.5. The effect of particle size, the temperature on the sorption equilibrium and rate of uptake of cesium were investigated. The temperature effect on both sorption equilibrium and rate of uptake was found to be limited. The kinetic study shows that the sorption is controlled by particle diffusion mechanism. The diffusivity of cesium ions into different particle sizes of KNiFC, the activation energy, and the entropy change of the sorption process were calculated. The effect of the presence of cobalt ions on the equilibrium and the rate of uptake of cesium is presented.