12th International Symposium on Symbiotic Nuclear Power ( ISSNP-2026)

The treatment and disposal of radioactive waste, including liquid and gaseous waste, is a critical issue in the nuclear power sector. Zeolites, as widely occurring inorganic materials, have demonstrated outstanding performance and irreplaceable properties in various radioactive waste management applications. Through chemical synthesis and modification experiments, a series of novel zeolite materials have been developed, and a series of experimental studies have been conducted targeting different backgrounds of radioactive liquid and gaseous waste treatment. In the treatment of high-level liquid waste, a novel functionalized pure silica zeolite with amide podand groups was synthesized via an in-situ synthesis method and employed for the selective separation of Ln(III) from highly acidic solutions. Experimental results indicate that this novel functionalized zeolite material exhibits excellent stability in 8M nitric acid solution, with a maximum binding capacity for Ln(III) exceeding 300 mg/g. Moreover, it maintains good selectivity even in the presence of uranyl and other competing ions. In the purification of radioactive gases, a series of acid-resistant, moisture-resistant, and radiation-resistant zeolite materials were developed for special environments such as nuclear accident scenarios and the off-gas from spent fuel dissolution. Experimental studies were conducted on the adsorption and separation performance of these materials for gases such as iodine, krypton, and xenon. The results highlight that hydrophobic modification of zeolite materials significantly enhances their moisture resistance. Even under conditions of 100% relative humidity, the modified zeolites still exhibit excellent adsorption properties for iodine and iodine compounds in gas phases.

zeolite,radioactive waste treatment,high-level liquid waste,gas purification