Credit: Hao Wang/Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Seeking a better way to capture radioactive iodides in spent nuclear reactor fuel, Rutgers-New Brunswick scientists have developed an extremely efficient "molecular trap" that can be recycled and reused.
The trap is like a tiny, porous super-sponge. The internal surface area of just one gram of this material could stretch out to cover five 94-by-50-foot basketball courts, or 23,500 square feet. And, once caught inside, radioactive iodides will remain trapped for eons.
"This type of material has tremendous potential because of its high porosity," said Jing Li, distinguished professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "It has far more space than a sponge and it can trap lots of stuff."
Li is corresponding author of a study on molecular traps for nuclear fuel reprocessing that was published in Nature Communications. The first author is Baiyan Li, a former postdoctoral associate in Li's group, and other Rutgers co-authors include doctoral students Hao Wang and Benjamin J. Deibert.
Reprocessing means separating spent nuclear reactor fuel into materials that may be recycled for use in new nuclear fuel or discarded as waste, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The U.S. has no commercial reprocessing facilities at the moment, but commercial facilities are operating in other countries.
When spent fuel is reprocessed, radioactive molecular iodine and organic iodide gases that pose cancer and environmental risks must be captured and sequestered. The long-lived gases are hard to capture and can leak into the environment, the Rutgers study says.
Solid adsorbents like silver-infused silica, alumina and zeolites can capture iodides, but their low uptake capacity and poor recyclability make them inefficient and costly, according to Li, who works in the School of Arts and Sciences.
So Rutgers and other researchers developed a "molecular trap" that is made of a highly porous metal-organic framework. Its performance exceeds the standard set by nuclear industry rules, which require waste reprocessing plants to remove more than 99.9 percent of radioactive iodides from spent nuclear fuel rods.
It also far outperforms all current industrial materials in adsorbing, or binding to, radioactive organic iodides. For example, its ability to adsorb methyl iodide at 302 degrees Fahrenheit exceeds that of a benchmark industrial product by more than 340 percent.
Another benefit of the Rutgers molecular trap is that captured methyl iodide can be removed from metal-organic frameworks, enabling their recycling and reuse. This is not possible with current industrial products, from which adsorbent must be sequestered along with captured radioactive iodides.
The metal-organic framework is also cheaper than existing products because it doesn't use silver or other precious metals, and is very robust, able to handle harsh reprocessing conditions such as high temperatures, high acidity and high humidity, Li said.
"We're off to a very good start and we'd like to make improvements," Li said. "Eventually, we hope it can be commercialized."
###
Media Contact
Todd B.Bates
[email protected]
848-932-0550
@RutgersU
http://www.rutgers.edu
Original Source
https://news.rutgers.edu/rutgers-led-research-could-revolutionize-nuclear-waste-reprocessing-and-save-money/20171030#.Wfdza1tSy70 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00526-3
I?m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I come across a blog that?s both equally educative and
amusing, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head.
The problem is something that too few folks are speaking intelligently about.
I am very happy that I came across this in my hunt for something regarding this.
I pay a quick visit everyday a few sites and blogs to read articles, except this blog presents quality based content.
Respect to author, some great entropy.
I view something truly interesting about your web blog so I saved
to favorites.
Very fantastic information can be found on blog.
What’s up everybody, here every person is sharing these kinds of familiarity, therefore it’s good to read this website, and I
used to visit this web site all the time.
I conceive you have mentioned some very interesting details, regards for the post.
I’d forever want to be update on new articles
on this web site, saved to bookmarks!
Some really nice and utilitarian info on this site, as well
I conceive the layout contains great features.
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your site is so cool.
I am impressed by the details that you have on this site.
It reveals how nicely you understand this subject.
Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles.
You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and simply could not come across.
What a perfect web site.
I dugg some of you post as I thought they were invaluable very beneficial.
It’s actually a nice and useful piece of info. I’m satisfied that you shared this helpful information with us.
Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
I would like to use the opportunity of saying thanks to you for your professional guidance
I have enjoyed going to your site. We’re looking forward to the commencement of my university research and the whole prep
would never have been complete without checking out your
website. If I might be of any help to others, I might be thankful to help through what I have gained from here.
Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as
long as I provide credit and sources back to your blog?
My website is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would really benefit from some of
the information you provide here. Please let me know
if this okay with you. Appreciate it!
Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice even as you amend your
website, how could i subscribe for a weblog site? The account aided me a applicable deal.
I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided vivid
transparent idea.
You have brought up a very wonderful details, thanks
for the post.
Amazing! Its actually awesome article, I have got much clear idea concerning from this piece of writing.
Great website! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am bookmarking your
feeds also
Awsome info and straight to the point. I don’t know if this
is truly the best place to ask but do you people have any thoughts on where to
get some professional writers? Thank you 🙂
Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your blog?
My blog site is in the very same area of interest as yours and my users would truly benefit from a lot of the information you provide here.
Please let me know if this alright with you. Thanks a lot!
I like this web blog it’s a master piece! Glad I observed this on google.
It?s hard to come by educated people about this
subject, but you seem like you know what you?re talking about!
Thanks
Helpful information. Fortunate me I discovered your web site unintentionally, and I am stunned why
this accident did not took place earlier! I bookmarked it.
Yay google is my world beater helped me to find this great internet site!
Wow! At last I got a blog from where I be capable of actually
obtain useful data regarding my study and knowledge.
Undeniably imagine that which you stated.
Your favourite justification seemed to be on the web the simplest thing to understand
of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed whilst other folks think about worries that they just do not recognize about.
You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and also outlined
out the entire thing without having side-effects , other people can take a signal.
Will likely be again to get more. Thank you
For most up-to-date news you have to pay a visit world-wide-web and
on internet I found this site as a finest web site for newest updates.
I precisely wanted to thank you so much once again. I do not know what I might have tried without the type of concepts revealed by you over this concern. Certainly
was a real terrifying crisis in my circumstances, but discovering the professional
strategy you processed the issue forced me to weep for gladness.
Extremely happy for your guidance and even wish you realize what a great job you have
been putting in educating the mediocre ones by way of your webblog.
Probably you have never come across all of us.
That is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Brief but very precise information? Appreciate your sharing this one.
A must read post!
Hello.This post was really motivating, particularly because I was looking for thoughts on this
issue last Thursday.
I am really loving the theme/design of your site. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility issues?
A couple of my blog audience have complained about my blog not working correctly
in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you
have any suggestions to help fix this issue?
What’s up colleagues, its enormous article regarding cultureand completely
explained, keep it up all the time.
Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was looking for!
Definitely consider that which you said. Your favourite reason seemed to be on the internet the easiest
thing to understand of. I say to you, I definitely get
irked at the same time as people think about concerns that they plainly do not understand about.
You controlled to hit the nail upon the highest and defined out the
whole thing without having side-effects , folks could take a signal.
Will probably be back to get more. Thank you
Glad to be one of several visitants on this awing internet site
:D.
Outstanding post, you have pointed out some wonderful points, I likewise believe this
is a very wonderful website.
Hello I am so delighted I found your website, I
really found you by error, while I was researching on Askjeeve for something else, Nonetheless I
am here now and would just like to say kudos for a incredible post and
a all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design),
I don’t have time to browse it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and
also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back
to read a lot more, Please do keep up the superb work.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am
impressed! Very helpful info specifically the final phase 🙂 I take
care of such information a lot. I was looking for this particular information for
a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
I am glad to be a visitant of this stark site, thanks
for this rare information!
Hello.This article was really fascinating, especially because I was
searching for thoughts on this issue last Friday.
Hi to every one, for the reason that I am genuinely keen of reading this blog’s
post to be updated daily. It contains nice information.
Dead written content material, Really enjoyed looking at.
Merely wanna input on few general things, The website pattern is perfect,
the written content is rattling excellent :D.
This website is my intake, rattling great design and Perfect content
material.
Great post, you have pointed out some excellent details, I likewise think this is
a very great website.
Some times its a pain in the ass to read what blog
owners wrote but this web site is really user genial!