IEC 121 |
| J. V. Beitz1, S. Skanthakumar1, S Seifert1, and P. Thiyagarajan2. (1) Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave, Argonne, IL 60439-4831, (2) Intense Pulsed Neutron Source Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 |
| We have developed a single material approach for removing highly charged metal ions from aqueous nuclear waste solutions and directly creating a waste form that is suitable for geologic disposal. Diphosil, the basis of our approach, is a chemically functionalized porous silica that was created by Chiarizia and coworkers (1996) to selectively sorb actinide ions from acid solutions. Our past work showed that thermal densification of metal ion-loaded Diphosil chemically fixes the sorbed heavy element ions in phosphate phases that are embedded in vitreous silica. Our present small angle scattering studies using neutrons and x-rays, along with conventional XRD work, have determined the size and nature of the produced phosphate phases. Laser-based ion-ion energy transfer studies and EXAFS investigations have provided additional insight as to the local environment of heavy metal ions in thermally-densified Diphosil. *Work performed under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative and the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract W-31-109-ENG-108. |
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Advanced Technologies for Decontaminating and Managing Radioactive Wastes
1:00 PM-5:00 PM, Tuesday, March 25, 2003 Convention Center -- Room 394, Oral
Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry |