Biosorption of long lived radionuclides using immobilized cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The efficacy of immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae (biomatrix) for the sorption of different metal ions and its potential applications in nuclear waste treatment were investigated. The sorption of radionuclides such as ²³³U, ²⁴¹Am, ¹⁴⁴Ce, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr was studied under different experimental conditions. More than 95% sorption of UO₂ ²⁺, Pu⁴⁺, Am³⁺ and Ce³⁺ could be obtained in the pH range 1 to 2 of the aqueous solutions. However the sorption of Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ were negligible under the similar experimental conditions. The infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopic images of the control and uranium-bearing biomatrix were studied to understand the chemistry of metal uptake by this biomatrix.