Tungsten Oxide Makes Progress in the Nuclear Waste Water Treatment

Violet tungsten oxide (W₁₈O₄₉) was prepared for the treatment of nuclear contamination. The solvothermal method used was similar to the hydrothermal method. It was completed in a special closed reaction vessel (autoclave) and replaced with other organic solvents. Water as a reaction medium, organic solvents also play a role in the media, mineralization and transfer pressure, the boiling point of organic solvents is relatively low, so the reaction temperature required in the preparation process is relatively low, less energy consumption, common solvents are ethanol.

In the industry, the violet tungsten oxide is used as the main raw material for the reduction of nano tungsten powder. It has many advantages. The abundant oxygen vacancy energy on the surface of W₁₈O₄₉ can provide the active site for the immobilization and complexation of metal ions. In addition, the WO_x/C nanowire network is formed by grafting organic carbon-containing functional groups on its surface. Due to its porous structure, the specific surface area of ​​the material is large, which further increases its ability to immobilize metal ions. Therefore, violet tungsten is used based on environmental protection materials, researchers have received extensive attention.

The Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences is one of the major nuclear physics research institutes in China. In 2017, the Institute’s artificial solar project “EAST” Dongfang Chaohuan achieved a stable long-pulse high-order model of 101.2 seconds. The plasma operation has created a new world record, showing that it has achieved fruitful results in the field of nuclear energy research. In the future, nuclear energy will play a more important role. The effective treatment of radioactive waste water is an important prerequisite for nuclear energy as a clean energy source.

Radioactive wastewater is classified into high, medium, low and weak radioactive wastewater according to the level of radioactive activity. The sources of wastewater include nuclear power plant wastewater, uranium mining wastewater, spent fuel reprocessing wastewater, and wastewater generated by hospitals, scientific research and other units. The spent fuel reprocessing wastewater mainly includes spent fuel reprocessing and wastewater generated from radioactive material separation and manufacturing processes. It represents nuclear elements including 137Cs, 90Sr, and uranium, plutonium, and transuranic elements. These wastewaters have high radioactive concentrations and are extremely dangerous.

The disposal of radioactive waste water is one of the major issues facing China's environmental protection. The disposal of radioactive waste water will become a problem that must be properly solved in the future use of nuclear energy. The traditional radioactive waste water treatment process is further optimized, and different treatment and disposal methods can be selected according to different objects, and the purpose of harmlessness can be more effectively achieved. The W18O49/C material with tungsten oxide as the precursor has specific effects on the two most polluting nuclear elements in wastewater.

WO_x/C can achieve efficient enrichment of Sr(II) and Co(II) under acidic conditions, especially Co(II), which can achieve adsorption equilibrium within ten minutes. Through the study of its adsorption mechanism, it was found that the oxygen vacancies on the WO_x/C surface and the functional group C-O play a key role in the metal ion complexation. The preparation of WOx/C is simple and environmentally friendly. It has a large adsorption capacity for nuclide ions and has broad prospects in the field of radioactive water pollution treatment.

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