• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2002

Characteristics of Amberlite IRN 77, a cation exchange resin, and the mechanisms of its adsorption equilibria with Co(II), Ni(II), Cr(III) and Fe(III) ions were investigated for the application of the demineralizing process in the primary coolant system of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). The optimum dosage of the resin for removal of the dissolved metal ions at $200mgL^{-1}$ was 0.6 g for 100 mL solution. Most of each metal ion was adsorbed onto the resin in an hour from the start of the reaction. Each metal adsorption onto the resin could be well represented by Langmuir isotherms. However, in the case of Fe(III) adsorption, continuous formation of Fe-oxide or -hydroxide and its subsequent precipitation inhibited the completion of the equilibrium between the metal and the adsorbent Cobalt(II) and Ni(II), which have an equivalent electrovalence, were adsorbed to the resin with a similar adsorption amount when they coexisted in the solution. However, Cr(III) added to the solution competitively replaced Co(II) and Ni(II) which were already adsorbed onto the resin, resulting in desorption of these metals into the solution. The result was likely due to a higher adsorption affinity of Cr(III) than Co(II) and Ni(II). This implies that the interactively competitive adsorption of multi-cations onto the resin should be fully considered for an efficient operation of the demineralizing ion exchange process in the primary coolant system.