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Electroactive Materials for Anion Separation -- Technetium from Nitrate


EMSL Project ID
12297

Abstract

The proposed research will provide the basis for using electroactive ion exchange materials to remove anionic contaminants from HLW wastes and process streams. An ion exchange process using electroactive materials sorbs contaminants selectively and then expels (elutes) them electrochemically by changing the charge balance through redox reactions in the sorbent as opposed to requiring the addition of a chemical eluant. Such processes can theoretically remove anions (e.g., pertechnetate, chromate) and concentrate them in a separate product stream while adding no process chemicals. A practical implementation in HLW process facilities would be a breakthrough in the ability of DOE to economically minimize waste and prevent pollution throughout the complex. To enable this, our work focuses on manipulating specific properties of redox polymers to control the hydrophobicity and ion-pair properties pertinent to the reversibility, selectivity, stability, intercalation/de-intercalation rates, and capacity of the polymers. This involves determining and controlling the density of charged sites, mobility of charged sites, degree of cross-linking, functionality of side groups and polymer chain length. The work will be performed by: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (synthesis and characterization of polymers); Brookhaven National Laboratory (direct characterization of ion-pair interactions); University of Minnesota (synthesis and characterization of high capacity polymers).

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2004-12-07
End Date
2005-12-12
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Timothy Hubler
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory