Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT) (방사성폐기물학회지)

Korean Radioactive Waste Society (한국방사성폐기물학회)
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Cross-verified Measurement of Sulfide Concentration in Anaerobic Conditions Using Spectroscopic, Electrochemical, and Mass Spectrometric Methods

  • Received : 2022.08.01
  • Accepted : 2022.11.21
  • Published : 2023.03.31
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Abstract

Sulfide concentrations critically affect worker safety and the integrities of underground facilities, such as deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel. Sulfide is highly sensitive to oxygen, which can oxidize sulfide to sulfate. This can hinder precise measurement of the sulfide concentration. Hence, a literature review was conducted, which revealed that two methods are commonly used: the methylene blue and sulfide ion-selective electrode (ISE) methods. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used for comparison with the two methods. The sulfide ISE method was found to be superior as it yielded results with a higher degree of accuracy and involved fewer procedures for quantification of the sulfide concentration in solution. ICP-OES results can be distorted significantly when sulfide is present in solution owing to the formation of H2S gas in the ICP-OES nebulizer. Therefore, the ICP-OES must be used with caution when quantifying underground water to prevent any distortion in the measured results. The results also suggest important measures to avoid problems when using ICP-OES for site selection. Furthermore, the sulfide ISE method is useful in determining sulfide concentrations in the field to predict the lifetime of disposal canisters of spent nuclear fuel in deep geological repositories and other industries.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the South Korean government (Ministry of Science and ICT, No. 2021M2E1A1085194). Notes: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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