Technologies

ISM

ISM

Ion Specific Media (ISM)

ISM is a series of proprietary and patent-pending inorganic media produced by Kurion.

These materials can selectively remove specific ions from an aqueous waste stream. Currently there are four classes of ISM:

  1. Herschelite-Based: An engineered material based off of the media used to treat waste at Three Mile Island

  2. Zeolite-Based: Materials engineered for specific waste conditions

  3. Glass Microsphere-Based: Perfectly round, specific media for different applications

  4. Fully Synthetic: Specialty media for difficult projects

Media Descriptions

Herschelite Media

Developed from the mineral substrate used at Three Mile Island, Kurion has enhanced and engineered six media:

  • Herschelite (KUR-H)
  • Engineered Herschelite (KUR-EH)
  • Silver Impregnated Herschelite (KUR-AGH)
  • KCCF-Herschelite (KUR-KH)
  • Surfactant Modified Herschelite (KUR-CH)
  • Iron Impregnated Herschelite (KUR-IH)

Zeolite Media

Kurion has two types of material engineered from Zeolite:

  • Surfactant Modified Zeolite (KUR-SMZ)
  • Strontium Specific Media (KUR-SSM)

Glass Microspheres:

Developed from a collaboration with MoSci., Inc, several forms of microspheres are being designed.

The glass microspheres can be produced in a fines (25-100 μ), seeding agent form, bead, or frit version (20-50 mesh) for sluiceable column applications. These glass microspheres have huge surface areas, both external and internal, ~ 195 m2per gram, with crystalline structures of approximately 10 to 50 nm in diameter and a total porosity of about 35% to 40%. This extremely high internal surface area and nano-porosity allow for the internal placement of reactive moieties by chemical reactions and the subsequent entrapment of radio-isotopes within the matrix.

Fully Synthetic Media

Kurion is currently conducting R&D to develop several new synthetic materials for customers.

 

Background and Areas of Interest

In the nuclear waste field there are five primary isotope areas of focus for commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs):

  1. Cesium (Cs+): Specifically 134 Cs+ and 137Cs+
  2. Strontium (Sr2+): 89Sr2+ and 90Sr2+
  3. First-Row Transition Metals: 63Ni2+, 58/60Co2+, and 55Fe2+
  4. Technetium: 99Tc (as pertechnetate)
  5. Anionic Isotopes: Antimonate (125Sb), Iodine (129 I-), Selenate, Arsenate and Bismuthate

Specifically, for the five major isotope ISMs, the following media are being tested in the ongoing downselect:

  1. Cesium Specific Media (CsM)
    • Modified Herschelite: A modified mineral in both fine and granular format with high specificity and capacity for cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr)
    • Modified Titanate (Ti): A glass microsphere format for cesium removal
    • Potassium Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate (KCCF) impregnated glass microspheres (GMS): Exceptional specificity and capacity for Cs
  2. Strontium Specific Media (SSM)
    • Hydroxy Apatite (HA) modified glass microspheres (GMS): High specificity and capacity for 90Sr and the actinides (e.g., Am and Pu)
    • Modified Herschelite: See modified mineral above
  3. Nickel (63Ni), Cobalt (58/60Co) and Iron (55Fe)
    • Metal impregnated glass microspheres (GMS): High specificity for Co, Ni and Fe, even in complexed situations
    • HA modified glass microspheres
  4. Technetium (99Tc)
    • Iron (Fe) impreganated glass microspheres (GMS)
    • Surfactant modified Hydroxy Apatite
    • Surfactant modified Herschelite
    • Surfactant modified Titanate
    • Surfactant modified Bentonite
  5. Iodine (129I), Antimony (125Sb), Selenium (Se), Arsenic (As), and Bismouth (Bi)
    • Iron (Fe) impregnated glass microspheres (GMS): High specificity for  this series of isotopes
    • Surfactant Modified Herschelite and HA GMS
    • Silver impregnated zeolite (AGZ)
    • Silver impregnated Herschelite (AGH)