Graphene-based sorbents for iodine-129 capture and sequestration

Abstract

The capture and sequestration of iodine-129 (129I), a long-lived byproduct of nuclear fission, is essential to the implementation of advanced nuclear fuel cycles and effective nuclear waste management. Current state-of-the-art technologies inherently require silver to bind iodine, e.g., silver-loaded silica aerogels or silver-loaded zeolite (AgZ), which are very expensive and an environmental concern. It is highly desirable to develop alternative cost-effective adsorbents for iodine capture and sequestration. Herein, we report graphene-based nanomaterials including graphene powder and graphene aerogel as novel iodine sorbents showing exceptional adsorption capability and kinetics. By measuring iodine sorption capacities and uptake rates in an I2(g) saturated environment, graphene sorbents display impressive iodine sorption capacities with powdered samples achieving mass gains in excess of 85mass%, and aerogels exceeding 100% mass gains. A direct correlation among specific surface area, defect concentration, and maximum sorption capacity has been established, and the sorption kinetics of the graphene for iodine capture was determined.