(245d) Selective Adsorption for Kr/Xe Capture and Separation

Used nuclear fuel reprocessing generates volatile radionuclides that will need to be controlled to meet United States regulatory emission limits. As part of a US Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored team, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is conducting ongoing research of physical adsorption processes as a simpler, more economical alternative to cryogenic distillation for the capture and separation of krypton and xenon from these off gas streams. Two novel engineered composite sorbents, developed, patented, and evaluated at INL, have shown the capability to capture and separate krypton and xenon from air. Sorbent evaluation results are promising for scale-up to potential process conditions, with demonstrated flexibility to operate successfully over a broad range of flow conditions and gas compositions. Current research is focused on emulating potential process conditions and desorption optimization to ensure successful operation. While this research has been directed at krypton and xenon, the sorbent production process, with relatively simple modification, could be applicable to other gas adsorption processes as well.