Radioactive waste management is critical for maintaining
the sustainability
of nuclear fuel cycles. In this study, we propose a novel bismuth-based
reduced graphene oxide (Bi0–rGO) composite for the
immobilization of off-gas radioactive iodine. This material synthesized
via a solvothermal route exhibited a low surface area (2.96 m2/g) combined with a maximum iodine sorption capacity of 1228
± 25 mg/g at 200 °C. The iodine sorbent was mixed with Bi2O3 powder and distilled water to fabricate waste
matrices, which were cold-sintered at 300 °C under a uniaxial
pressure of 500 MPa for 20 min to achieve a relative density of ∼98%
and Vickers hardness of 1.3 ± 0.1 GPa. The utilized methodology
reduced the iodine leaching rate by approximately 3 orders of magnitude
through the formation of a chemically durable iodine-bearing waste
form (BiOI). This study demonstrates the high potential of Bi0–rGO as an innovative solution for the immobilization
of radioactive waste at relatively low temperatures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.