Development of technology to reduce environmental problems via innovative water purification agents

在这个项目中，我们的目标是开发用于选择性去除和长期封存放射性Sr-90的新材料。在日本，这对于帮助福岛第一核电站周围的清理活动非常重要，在英国，这对于帮助清理塞拉菲尔德核电站和其他地方的遗留废物也非常重要。虽然存在从污染水中去除Sr-90的材料，但它们都有一定的局限性和/或高成本，因此，旨在制造新的和改进的材料的基础研究是合理的。理想的吸附剂在存在大量竞争阳离子（如Ca、Mg、Na或K）时对Sr-90具有高度选择性，在大pH范围内稳定有效，具有良好的Sr-90容量，可重复使用，易于批量生产，成本低，并且在使用结束后具有简单且经过验证的安全稳定的废物形式。我们的目标是有潜力满足所有这些标准的材料，这些材料基于日本（信州大学和东北大学）已经完成的初步合成工作，以及英国（谢菲尔德大学）支持材料工作原理（钻石光源）和使用后废物产生的基本研究。

In this project we aim to develop new materials for the selective removal and long-term sequestration of radioactive Sr-90. This is of importance in Japan to help in the clean-up activities around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and in the UK to help in the clean-up of legacy waste at the Sellafield site and elsewhere. Although materials exist for removing Sr-90 from contaminated water, all have some limitations and/or high cost and therefore basic research aimed towards making new and improved materials is justified. The ideal adsorbent would be highly selective for Sr-90 in the presence of larger amounts of competitive cations (e.g. Ca, Mg, Na or K), be stable and effective over a large pH range, have a good capacity for Sr-90, be reusable, be easily made in bulk at low cost and have a simple and proven route to a safe and stable wasteform after its end of use. We target materials that have the potential to fulfil all of these criteria based on preliminary synthesis work already done in Japan (Shinshu and Tohuku Universities) with essential research in the UK supporting the characterisation and understanding of how the materials work (Diamond Light Source) and the production of wasteforms after use (University of Sheffield).