Uranium removal from seawater by means of polymeric fabrics grafted with diallyl oxalate through a single-step, solvent-free process.

In order to test the effectiveness of oxalate-based polymeric adsorbents in the recovery of uranium from seawater, diallyl oxalate (DAOx) was grafted onto nylon 6 fabrics by exposing the fabric, immersed in pure liquid DAOx or in a surfactant-stabilized dispersion of DAOx in water, to electron beam or gamma radiation. Following drying and weighing to determine the degree of grafting (DoG), the presence of oxalate in the fabrics was verified using XPS. Zeta potential measurements showed the fabric surfaces to be negatively charged.

Acid generation upon thermal concentration of natural water: the critical water content and the effects of ionic composition.

Thermal evaporation of a variety of simulated pore waters from the region of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, produced acidic liquids and gases during the final stages of evaporation. Several simulated pore waters were prepared and then thermally distilled in order to collect and analyze fractions of the evolved vapor. In some cases, distillates collected towards the end of the distillation were highly acidic; in other cases the pH of the distillate remained comparatively unchanged during the course of the distillation.

Composition and particle size of superparamagnetic corrosion products in tap water.

Chemical analyses, magnetization, Mössbauer spectrum, and x-ray diffraction measurements were made on solids removed from tap water by means of membrane filters. The taps from which this water was obtained had previously been unused for prolonged periods of time. When these taps were reactivated and water was first drawn, it was observed that the quantity of coarse solids in the water gradually decreased with flow, while at the same time the quantity of fine solids gradually increased.

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles in tap water.

Magnetization measurements are a useful tool in the characterization of corrosion products formed in municipal water pipes made of iron or steel. Fine particles formed in corrosion processes exhibit superparamagnetic behavior. The size of such particles, which determines their capacity to adsorb hazardous species, can therefore be found from magnetic measurements.