New-generation material removes iodine from water

A new-generation microporous material designed at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA is the result of chemically stitching small organic molecules to form a framework that removes iodine from water. This could potentially be used to remove iodine-131 from contaminated water.

The research, published in the May 31, 2017 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.

During the research, the concentration of iodine was reduced from 288 ppm to 18 ppm within 30 minutes and to less than 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 Chenfeng Ke, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Dartmouth College, 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 absorbing the iodine, the compound can be collected, cleaned and reused while radioactive iodine is 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.

Researchers at Dartmouth's 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.

To read more please visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170607123756.htm 

Source: ScienceDaily