Hybrid extractive scintillator resin for simultaneous concentration and detection of radiocesium from aqueous solutions

A hybrid extractive scintillating resin (HESR) was developed for the concentration and detection of radiocesium. The HESR comprised a cesium-selective potassium ferrierite ion-exchange powder embedded in porous polymeric scintillating beads. It was prepared by carrying out suspension polymerization of 4-methylstyrene with divinylbenzene, 2-(1-naphthyl)-4-vinyl-5-phenyloxazole fluor and ferrierite-K powder. A translucent column packed with the HESR was placed in a commercial flow-cell radiation detector for real-time detection of radiocesium. Measurements using the HESR detection system were compared with an on-line gamma-ray measurement using a NaI:Tl well detector containing a column of ferrierite-K powder/SiO₂ or potassium-nickel ferrocyanate-polyacrylonitrile (KNiFC-PAN). The NaI:Tl well detector configuration quantified the gamma-ray from ^137mBa, while the flow-cell detector primarily quantified the beta particles and conversion electrons of ¹³⁷Cs. The minimum detectable concentration of the two detection modalities were calculated and shown to be lower than the maximum contaminant level in drinking water of 7.4 Bq/L (200 pCi/L).