Sorption of radiocobalt and its EDTA complex on titanium antimonates

The sorption properties of two synthesized titanium antimonate materials were tested in simulated nuclear power plant decontamination solutions. The aim was the removal of radiocobalt in the presence of complexing agents such as EDTA and oxalate. The first titanium antimonate material had a mixture of pyrochlore and rutile structures and it showed good tolerance for the complexing agents. 91% of cobalt was removed in the presence of EDTA, and oxalic acid had only a minor effect on the sorption. The other material, which had a mopungite structure, tolerated EDTA well (97% removal of cobalt) but its sorption properties for cobalt were restricted to a specific amount of oxalic acid. The sorption efficiency of cobalt increased for both materials when the cobalt concentration was less than 1 μM, indicating that the synthesized materials are efficient sorbents, especially for trace amounts of radiocobalt.