Molecular sieves for long term atmospheric tritium monitoring - a feasibility study

The commonly adopted sampling methodology for the measurement of atmospheric Tritium (³H) concentration is moisture condensation method. This method is good for spot sampling while seldom applicable for long term measurements. Hence, developing methods for long term continuous air sampling which would account for the diurnal variations of ³H in environment is very important. Molecular sieves have found to have high potency towards water adsorptions and its application in air sampling for ³H measurement have been reported. Molecular sieves are allumino silicates having porous structures on their surfaces which facilitates the adsorption of water molecules on it. This adsorption is generally due to weak van der Waal's forces and hydrogen bonds. In this paper we report the application of molecular sieves for ³H measurements in ambient air