Radionuclide separations using pillared layered materials. Final report

The objective of this project is to prepare an all inorganic strontium specific sorbent or ion exchanger for the removal of highly alkaline nuclear waste solutions. A series of clays and layered titanates were pillared and calcined to convert their essentially two dimensional structure to three dimensional porous structures with high surface areas. The pillaring agents were alumina, zirconia, chromia and silica based. The pillared clays, particularly those containing Zr pillars, achieved moderate (Kd as high at 13,700 ml/g with V:m = 28) selectivities for Sr2+. In contrast, the silica pillared titanates showed exceptional affinities for Sr2+ with Kd values in excess of 100,000 ml/g in 5M NaNO3 + 1M NaOH. These latter results suggest a more detailed study of the pillared titanates in the presence of simulants closely resembling real waste solutions