. Earth Science News .
WATER WORLD
New-generation material removes iodine from water
by Staff Writers
Hanover NH (SPX) Jun 12, 2017


Iodine is removed from an aqueous solution after the addition of HCOF-1. Credit Chenfeng Ke / Dartmouth College

Researchers at Dartmouth College have developed a new material that scrubs iodine from water for the first time. The breakthrough could hold the key to cleaning radioactive waste in nuclear reactors and after nuclear accidents like the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The new-generation microporous material designed at Dartmouth is the result of chemically stitching small organic molecules to form a framework that scrubs the isotope from water.

"There is simply no cost-effective way of removing radioactive iodine from water, but current methods of letting the ocean or rivers dilute the dangerous contaminant are just too risky," said Chenfeng Ke, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Dartmouth College. "We are not sure how efficient this process will be, but this is definitely the first step toward knowing its true potential."

Radioactive iodine is a common byproduct of nuclear fission and is a pollutant in nuclear disasters including the recent meltdown in Japan and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. While removing iodine in the gas phase is relatively common, iodine has never been removed from water prior to the Dartmouth research.

"We have solved the stubborn scientific problem of making a porous material with high crystallinity that is also chemically stable in strong acidic or basic water," said Ke, the principle investigator for the research. "In the process of developing a material that combats environmental pollution, we also created a method that paves the way for a new class of porous organic materials."

The research, published in the May 31 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes how researchers used sunlight to crosslink small molecules in large crystals to produce the new material. The approach is different from the traditional method of combining molecules in one pot.

During the research, concentrations of iodine were reduced from 288 ppm to 18 ppm within 30 minutes, and below 1 ppm after 24 hours. The soft stitching technique resulted in a breathable material that changed shape and adsorbed more than double its weight of iodine. The compound was also found to be elastic, making it reusable and potentially even more valuable for environmental cleanup.

According to Ke, the compound could be used in a manner similar to applying salt to contaminated water. Since it is lighter than water, the material floats to adsorb iodine and then sinks as it becomes heavier. After taking on the iodine, the compound can be collected, cleaned and reused while the radioactive elements are sent for storage.

The lab research used non-radioactive iodine in salted water for the experiment, but researchers say that it will also work in real-world conditions. Ke and his team hope that through continued testing the material will prove to be effective against cesium and other radioactive contaminants associated with nuclear plants.

"It would be ideal to scrub more radioactive species other than iodine--you would want to scrub all of the radioactive material in one go," said Ke.

Researchers at Dartmouth's Ke Functional Materials Group are also hopeful that the technique can be used to create materials to target other types of inorganic and organic pollutants, particularly antibiotics in water supplies that can lead to the creation of super-resistant microorganisms.

Research paper

WATER WORLD
Understanding a river's 'thermal landscape' may be the key to saving it
Washington DC (SPX) Jun 05, 2017
River temperatures have long been an area of study, but until recently, the field has been hampered by technological constraints. Fine-scale measurements over large distances and long time periods have been difficult to collect, and research efforts have focused instead on average river temperatures, lethal extremes, and small-scale patterns. However, a suite of new technologies and method ... read more

Related Links
Dartmouth College
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WATER WORLD
Philippine war refugees facing deadly health risks

Japan workers exposed to dangerous radiation in lab

Scorpions the new threat for displaced Mosul civilians

GMV to supply Copernicus services in support to EU external action

WATER WORLD
Metal-ion catalysts and hydrogen peroxide could green up plastics production

New sound diffuser is 10 times thinner than existing designs

New catalytic converter composite reduces rare earth element usage

Extracting Insight from the Data Deluge Is a Hard-to-Do Must-Do

WATER WORLD
Boeing, Huntington Ingalls giving boost to Navy UUV program

Branson petitions UN for oceans protection

Hong Kong activists dress as sharks to protest finning

US backs UN call to save oceans but no action on climate

WATER WORLD
Domes of frozen methane may be warning signs for new blow-outs

Blight or blessing? How the wolverine embodies Arctic diversity

Geoscientific evidence for subglacial lakes

Why do Antarctic krill stocks fluctuate

WATER WORLD
Scientists design laser to kill weeds

Spain's 'jamon' conquers China

Study predicts where global warming is likely to spark food violence

Culls, poultry transport ban as S. Korea fights bird flu outbreak

WATER WORLD
Volcanoes, referees for the life on Earth

Sediment from Himalayas may have made 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake more severe

2017 hurricane season follows year of extremes

New Geothermal Project Helps Create Clean Energy Future for Los Angeles

WATER WORLD
Nigerian soldier sentenced to death for 'Boko Haram' murder

France faces US reservations over UN backing for Sahel force

UN peacekeeper death toll rises after Mali jihadist attack

Mob justice fears after soldier's gruesome death in Ghana

WATER WORLD
Living long and living well: Is it possible to do both

Ancient grains offer insights into the birth and growth of the world's oldest cities

Tourists risk getting bit when they mistake monkey aggression for affection

Fossil skeleton confirms earliest primates were tree dwellers









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.