Decontamination of radioactive uranium by chemical gels

Chemical decontamination technology represents a highly effective removal of radioactive contamination through chemical dissolution or a Redox reaction. However, the generation of large amounts of waste limits its use as an in-situ technology. Therefore, to avoid the well-known disadvantages of chemical decontamination techniques while retaining their high decontamination efficiency, it is necessary to develop processes using chemical gels instead of chemical solutions. This method is effective in situations in which long contact times are required, and when a need to minimize waste exists. A chemical deco nta-mi nation gel can be prepared by adding gelling agents composed of a viscosifier and a coviscosifier to the chemical decontamination agents used in traditional decontamination processes. The appropriate combination of viscosifier and coviscosifier is a very important factor in the control of the viscosity and adhesion properties of chemical decontamination gels. Gelling agents were prepared by adding PEG-based non-ionic coviscosifiers (diethylene glycol hexyl ether and tripropylene glycol butyl ether, and tripropylene glycol dodecyl ether) into a stable pyro Si viscosifier. The decontamination and rheological behaviors of chemical gels prepared in a Ce(IV).HNO3 or HNO3 based solution for tile surfaces contaminated with uranium radionuclides were investigated