Capture, removal, and storage of radioactive species

Abstract

A method of capturing radioactive species from an aqueous solution and removing the radioactive species for disposal, includes: contacting the aqueous solution with a first sequestration resin comprising a sequestration ligand coupled to a sulfonic acid based polymer resin backbone, to allow the first sequestration resin to capture the radioactive species; removing the first sequestration resin with the captured radioactive species from the aqueous solution; and using an acid to lower a pH of the first sequestration resin to release the radioactive species from the first sequestration resin.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of capturing radioactive species from an aqueous solution and removing the radioactive species for disposal, comprising:
 contacting the aqueous solution with a first sequestration resin comprising a sequestration ligand coupled to a sulfonic acid based polymer resin backbone, to allow the first sequestration resin to capture the radioactive species;   removing the first sequestration resin with the captured radioactive species from the aqueous solution; and   using an acid to lower a pH of the first sequestration resin to release the radioactive species from the first sequestration resin.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising disposing the radioactive species which have been released from the first sequestration resin, in a radioactive storage facility. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an initial pH of the aqueous solution is greater than 5. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first sequestration resin is in bead form. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first sequestration resin is in gel form. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first sequestration resin is in powder form. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the pH is lowered below 1 to cause hydrolysis of a sulfonamide linking the ligand to the resin backbone of the first sequestration resin and releasing the radioactive species from the ligand. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1  further including the step of recapturing the radioactive species released from the first sequestration resin, using a second sequestration resin having a higher volumetric capacity than the first sequestration resin. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , further including the step of drying the second sequestration resin to reduce its volume so that it can be stored in smaller volume packages in the storage facility. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the radioactive species captured by the second sequestration resin do not change the classification of the resin for waste disposal. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the radioactive species are removed from low capacity binding sites of the first sequestration resin.