The behaviors of various desorption agents were investigated during the desorption of cesium (Cs) from samples of clay minerals and actual soil. Results showed that polymeric cation exchange agents (polyethyleneimine (PEI)) efficiently desorbed Cs from expandable montmorillonite, whereas acidic desorption solutions containing HCl or PEI removed considerable Cs from hydrobiotite. However, most desorption agents could desorb only 54% of Cs from illite because of Cs’s specific adsorption to selective adsorption sites. Cs desorption from an actual soil sample containing Cs-selective clay mineral illite (< 200 μm) and extracted from near South Korea’s Kori Nuclear Power Plant was also investigated. Considerable adsorbed 137Cs was expected to be located at Cs-selective sites when the 137Cs loading was much lower than the sample’s cation exchange capacity. At this low 137Cs loading, the total Cs amount desorbed by repeated washing varied by desorption agent in the order HCl > PEI > NH4+, and the highest Cs desorption amount achieved using HCl was 83%. Unlike other desorption agents with only cation exchange capabilities, HCl can attack minerals and induce dissolution of metallic elements. HCl’s ability to both alter minerals and induce H+/Cs+ ion exchange is expected to promote Cs desorption from actual soil samples.

As part of planning for waste minimization, decontamination foam has been considered as a potential application for the cleaning of radioactive contaminant. In this study, we synthesized silica particles to improve foam stability by varying synthesis parameters. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was found to influence the stability of the decontamination foam. The reason was that higher interaction between SiO2 nanoparticles and surfactant at the air-water interface in aqueous solution is beneficial for foam stability. CTAB can also be used as an additive for the aggregation of silica nanoparticles. In the separation of SiO2 nanoparticles, CTAB plays a critical role in the nanoparticles flocculation because of the charge neutralization and hydrophobic effects of its hydrocarbon tails.