Degradation of 1,4-dioxane using advanced oxidation processes.

Introduction: In the nuclear industry 1,4-dioxane is used as a solvent in liquid scintillation technique for measuring low-energy beta-emitters such as ³H or C¹⁴ in aqueous media. Improper disposal of 1,4-dioxane can contaminate the ground and surface waters. Conventional wastewater treatment processes like chemical treatment, air stripping, carbon adsorption, and biological treatment are ineffective for the degradation of 1,4-dioxane.

Effective uptake of decontaminating agent (citric acid) from aqueous solution by mesoporous and microporous materials: an adsorption process.

The presence of citric acid in decontamination waste can cause complexation of the radioactive cations resulting in interferences in their removal by various treatment processes such as chemical precipitation, ion-exchange, etc., which are employed for the removal of radioactivity and may cause potential danger to the environment. Mesoporous Al-MCM-41 (Si/Al=30, 51, 72 and 97) and Si-MCM-41 molecular sieves were synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by XRD, BET (surface area) and FT-IR to evaluate the removal of citric acid through an adsorption process.