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. 2020 Aug 7;10(8):1553.
doi: 10.3390/nano10081553.

Separation of Radionuclides from Spent Decontamination Fluids via Adsorption onto Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes after Photocatalytic Degradation

Monika Lyczko  1 , Barbara Wiaderek  1 , Aleksander Bilewicz  1
Affiliations

Separation of Radionuclides from Spent Decontamination Fluids via Adsorption onto Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes after Photocatalytic Degradation

Monika Lyczko et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

A one-step process combining the photocatalytic degradation of radionuclide complexes and the adsorption of liberated radionuclides on titanium dioxide nanotubes was developed and tested for the purification of aqueous waste produced from chemical decontamination of nuclear power plant circuit components. Among the tested forms of TiO2, only nanotubes exhibit both high photocatalytic activity and sorption ability, which support their application in a one-step purification process. The obtained results indicate that the photocatalytic degradation of complexes followed by the sorption of the radionuclides onto TiO2 nanotubes offers a promising route for treating spent decontamination fluids.

Keywords: decontamination fluids; photocatalytic degradation; titanium dioxide; titanium nanotubes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The interior of a photoreactor constructed by our team.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SEM (left) and TEM (right) images of synthesized nanotubes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sorption percentages of 60Co and 65Zn on TiO2 nanotubes as a function of time at pH = 4.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The dependence of 60Co and 65Zn distribution coefficients on solution pH.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The dependence of 60Co (A-C) and 65Zn (D-F) cation distribution coefficients on the concentration of chelating agents
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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