Effective removal of 60Co from high-salinity water by Ca–Mg phosphate sorbents

The development of the nuclear industry is accompanied by the inevitable formation of radioactive waste that creates a substantial risk of environmental pollution. In the present work, an effective Ca–Mg phosphate sorbents were prepared using dolomite as an inexpensive raw material. It was established that the removal of 60Co is predominantly determined by the salinity and pH value of aqueous solution. The highest sorption efficiency was shown for PD-2 sorbent with Kd(60Co) changing from 2.44 × 104 to 3.32 × 103 mL g−1 in the salinity range of 0–50 g L−1. The produced materials are promising for seawater and liquid radioactive waste treatment from 60Co radionuclide.