Reductive immobilization and long-term remobilization of radioactive pertechnetate using bio-macromolecules stabilized zero valent iron nanoparticles

Reductive immobilization of radioactive pertechnetate(99TcO4^-) in simulated groundwater was studied by prepared carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC) and starch stabilized zero valent iron nanoparticles(nZVI),and long-term remobilization of reduced Tc was also evaluated under anoxic and oxic conditions.The stabilized nZVI can effectively reduce soluble 99Tc(Ⅶ) to insoluble 99 Tc(Ⅳ),and they can be easily delivered into a contaminated groundwater zone and facilitate in situ remediation.In this study,CMCstabilized nZVI showed higher reactivity than that using starch as the stabilizer.Batch experiments indicated that more than 99% of 99 Tc(Ⅶ)(CO=12 mg/mL) was reduced and removed from groundwater by CMC-stabilized nZVI with a CMC content of 0.2%(w/w) at a broad pH of 5-8.X-ray diffraction(XRD)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) analyses further confirmed that 99Tc(Ⅶ)O4^-transformed into 99Tc(Ⅳ)O2(s).The presence of bicarbonate exhibited insignificant effect on Tc immobilization,while humic acid(HA) inhibited reaction mainly due to retardation on electron transfer and formation of Tc(IV)-HA complexes.More interesting,the immobilized Tc(Ⅳ) remained insoluble even after 120 d under anoxic condition,while only^21 % was remobilized when exposed to air.Therefore,biomacromolecules stabilized nZVI nanoparticles could be a viable alternative for in situ remediation of radioactive contamination in groundwater.

Reductive immobilization of Re(VⅡ)by graphene modified nanoscale zero-valent iron particles using a plasma technique

Technetium-99(~99Tc),largely produced by nuclear fission of ~235U or ~239Pu,is a component of radioactive waste.This study focused on a remediation strategy for the reduction of pertechnetate(Tc O_4^-)by studying its chemical analogue rhenium(Re(VⅡ))to avoid the complication of directly working with radioactive elements.Nanoscale zero-valent iron particles supported on graphene(NZVI/r GOs)from GOs-bound Fe ions were prepared by using a H_2/Ar plasma technique and were applied in the reductive immobilization of perrhenate(Re O_4^-).The experimental results demonstrated that NZVI/r GOs could efficiently remove Re from the aqueous solution,with enhanced reactivity,improved kinetics(50 min to reach equilibrium)and excellent removal capacity(85.77 mg/g).The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the mechanisms of Re immobilization by NZVI/r GOs included adsorption and reduction,which are significant to the prediction and estimation of the effectiveness of reductive Tc O_4^- by NZVI/r GOs in the natural environment.