Sorption behaviour of Co(II) and Cu(II) on chitosan in presence of nitrilotriacetic acid.

Separation and isolation of radioactive cobalt ((60)Co), one of the main contributors towards the activity build up in nuclear reactors, is essential for radioactive waste volume reduction during nuclear reactor decontamination procedures. In this context, sorption of free and complexed Co(II), Cu(II) and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) on the biosorbent, chitosan was studied. A detailed investigation on the role of pH on sorption of Co(II), Cu(II) and NTA was done.