Migration of strontium, cesium, and europium from poly(butyl acrylate)/phosphate/composites prepared using gamma...

Composites based on natural phosphate powder and the monomer N-butyl acrylate have been prepared by means of gamma irradiation. The conversion of polymerization was followed up with respect to the irradiation dose using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). A total polymerization conversion was achieved by exposure of the samples to a dose of 10 kGy. A thermomechanical analyzer (TMA) was used to locate the region of the glass transition temperatures (T(g)) using the mode with alternative variable force; the mode with constant force was used to determine the T(g) of the pure polymer and the composite prepared at the same irradiation dose. The T(g) of the pure poly(butyl acrylate) is -51.41°C, and the T(g) of poly(butyl acrylate)/phosphate/composites is -46.54°C. The distribution of (137)Cs, (152)Eu, and (85)Sr in a solid-aqueous system, a composite of phosphate-polybutyl acrylate in contact with groundwater, was investigated using γ-spectrometry. The effect of contact time, pH, and the concentration of concurrent elements (Na, Ca, and La) were studied. The results were compared with earlier results with phosphate alone in the solid phase. The ability of the produced composites to keep the studied radioisotopes in the solid phase is much higher than mineral phosphate. This improvement is more remarkable by strontium and cesium than europium, due to its high element ratio in the solid phase in phosphate experiments.