Radiation-resistant metal-organic framework enables efficient separation of krypton fission gas from spent nuclear fuel

Sameh K. Elsaidi (), Mona H. Mohamed, Ahmed S. Helal, Mitchell Galanek, Tony Pham, Shanelle Suepaul, Brian Space, David Hopkinson, Praveen K. Thallapally () and Ju Li ()
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Sameh K. Elsaidi: University of California, Berkeley
Mona H. Mohamed: University of Pittsburgh
Ahmed S. Helal: Nuclear Materials Authority
Mitchell Galanek: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tony Pham: The University of Tampa
Shanelle Suepaul: University of South Florida
Brian Space: University of South Florida
David Hopkinson: DOE National Energy and Technology Laboratory (NETL)
Praveen K. Thallapally: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Ju Li: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Capture and storage of volatile radionuclides that result from processing of used nuclear fuel is a major challenge. Solid adsorbents, in particular ultra-microporous metal-organic frameworks, could be effective in capturing these volatile radionuclides, including 85Kr. However, metal-organic frameworks are found to have higher affinity for xenon than for krypton, and have comparable affinity for Kr and N2. Also, the adsorbent needs to have high radiation stability. To address these challenges, here we evaluate a series of ultra-microporous metal-organic frameworks, SIFSIX-3-M (M = Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, or Fe) for their capability in 85Kr separation and storage using a two-bed breakthrough method. These materials were found to have higher Kr/N2 selectivity than current benchmark materials, which leads to a notable decrease in the nuclear waste volume. The materials were systematically studied for gamma and beta irradiation stability, and SIFSIX-3-Cu is found to be the most radiation resistant.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16647-1

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