Application of Novel Nanoporous Sorbents for the Removal of Heavy Metals, Metalloids, and Radionuclides

A new class of hybrid nanoporous materials for removing toxic heavy metals, oxyanions, and radionuclides from aqueous waste streams has been developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. These novel materials consist of functional molecules such as thiols, ethylenediamine complexed copper, and carbamoylphosphonates that are self-assembled as monolayers within the nanopores of a synthetic silica-based material. Tests indicated that these sorbents (self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous silica ? SAMMS) can achieve very high sorbate loadings (∼6 meq/g) very rapidly with relatively high specificity (Kd: 1?108 ml/g). Because of the specifically tunable nature of the functionalities, these nanoporous sorbents can be targeted to remove a selected category of contaminants such as heavy metals (Ag, Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb), oxyanions (As and Cr), and radionuclides (137Cs, 129I, 237Np, and isotopes of Pu, Th, and U) from waste streams