Surface decontamination of radioactive cesium by a reversibly cross-linkable hydrogel using poly(vinyl alcohol) and phenylboronic acid-grafted poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-mono-sodium maleate)

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2023-10, Vol.339, p.139617-139617, Article 139617
• Main Authors: Yang, Hee-Man, Kim, Sung-Wook, Kim, Hyung-Ju, Lee, Ga-Eun, Jang, Jeong-Yun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Phenylboronic acid-diol ester bond; Phenylboronic acid-grafted poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-mono-sodium maleate); Radioactive cesium; Reversible cross-linking; Surface decontamination
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139617

Wide-area surface decontamination is essential during the sudden release of radioisotopes to the public, such as nuclear accidents or terrorist attacks. A self-generated hydrogel comprising a reversible complex between poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and phenylboronic acid-grafted poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-mono-sodium maleate) (PBA–g–PMVE–SM) was developed as a new surface decontamination coating agent to remove radioactive cesium from surfaces. The simultaneous application of PVA and PBA–g–PMVE–SM aqueous polymer solutions containing sulfur–zeolite to contaminated surfaces resulted in the spontaneous formation of a PBA–diol ester bond-based hydrogel. The sulfur–zeolite suspended in the hydrogel selectively removed 137Cs from the contaminated surface and was easily separated from the dissociable used hydrogel. This removal was performed by simple water rinsing without costly incineration to remove the organic materials for final disposal/storage of the radioactive waste, making it suitable for practical wide-area surface decontamination. In radioactive tests, the hydrogel containing sulfur–chabazite (S–CHA) showed substantial 137Cs removal efficiencies of 96.996% for painted cement and 63.404% for cement, which are 2.33 times better than the values for the commercial surface decontamination coating agent DeconGel. Due to its excellent zeolite ion-exchange ability, our hydrogel system has great potential for removing various hazardous contaminants, including radionuclides, from the surface. [Display omitted] •A self-generated, sprayable hydrogel containing Cs adsorbents was developed for wide-area surface decontamination.•This hydrogel consisted of polyvinyl alcohol and phenylboronic acid grafted poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-mono-sodium maleate).•This hydrogel containing Cs adsorbents effectively removed 137Cs from the surfaces, including cement.•After use, the hydrogel was rinsed off easily with water, and the adsorbent was successfully separated by ultrafiltration.