• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.421-437
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• 2020

This study provides an assessment on a proposed method for separation of cesium, strontium, and barium using electrochemical reduction at a liquid bismuth cathode in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt, investigated via cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). CV studies were performed at temperatures of 723-823 K and concentrations of the target species up to 4.0wt%. Redox reactions occurring during potential sweeps were observed. Concentration of BaCl2 in the salt did not seem to influence the diffusivity in the studied concentration range up to 4.0wt%. The presence of strontium in the system affected the redox reaction of lithium; however, there were no distinguishable redox peaks that could be measured. Impedance spectra obtained from EIS methods were used to calculate the exchange current densities of the electroactive active redox couple at the bismuth cathode. Results show the rate-controlling step in deposition to be the mass transport of Cs+ ions from the bulk salt to the cathode surface layer. Results from SEM-EDS suggest that Cs-Bi and Sr-Bi intermetallics from LiCl-KCl salt are not thermodynamically favorable.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.270-278
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• 1991

Carboxymethyl chitin(CM-chitin) was prepared by the reaction of alkali chitin with monochloroacetic acid in isopropyl alcohol. According to the pH variation, the adsorptivity of this chelating polymer to the alkali-earth metal ions such as $Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+}$, $Sr^{2+}$, $Ba^{2+}$ ions was determined by batch method. The adsorption tendency of this chelating polymer to most metal ions was increased with the increase of pH. The highest degree of adsorption was observed toward $Ca^{2+}$ ion among the alkali-earth metal ions. The selectivity adsorption property toward $Ca^{2+}$ ion was examined in the solution of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$ ions, and it was observed that CM-chitin showed excellent selectivity to $Ca^{2+}$ ion than $Mg^{2+}$ ion. $Mg^{2+}$ ion bound to CM-chitin molecule in the presence of $Ca^{2+}$ ion owing to low equilibrium constant. In the adsorption experiment of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$ ions to the CM-chitin under coexistence of $Na^+$ and $K^+$ ions, it observed that adsorptivity of only $Ca^{2+}$ ions was not affected by these monovalent cations.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2003

To investigate the function of chloroplast small heat shock protein (HSP), transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L, cv. SR-1) that constitutively overexpress the rice chloroplast small HSP (Oshsp26) were generated. Effects of constitutive expression of the Oshsp26 on thermotolerance were investigated with the chlorophyll fluorescence. After 5-min incubation of leaf discs at high temperatures, an increase in the Fo level, indication of separation of LHCII from PSII, was mitigated by constitutive expression of the chloroplast small HSP When tobacco plantlets grown in Petri dishes were incubated at $20^{\circ}C$/TEX> for 45 min and subsequently incubated at $20^{\circ}C$/TEX> leaf color of wild-type plant became gradually white and all plantlets were finally died. Under the conditions in which all the wild-type plants died, more than 80% of the transformants remained green and survived. It was also found that the levels of Oshsp26 protein accumulated in transgenic plants were correlated with the degree of thermotolerance. These results suggest that the chloroplast small HSP plays an important role in protecting photosynthetic machinery, as a results, increases thermotolerance of whole plant during heat stress.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.474-477
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• 1991

The preferential transport phenomena of neutral cation-anion moieties in neutral macrocycle-facilitated emulsion liquid membrane were described in this study. Emulsion membrane systems consisting of (1) aqueous source phase containing 0.001 M M($NO_3$)$_2(M=Mn^{2+},\;Co^{2+},\;Ni^{2+},\;Cu^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Sr^{2+},\;Cd^{2+},\;and\;Pb^{2+})$ (2) a toluene membrane containing 0.01 M ligand $(DBN_3O_2$, DA18C6, DT18C6, TT18C6, HT18C6) and the surfactant span 80 (sorbitan monooleate) (3% v/v) and (3) an aqueous receiving phase containing $Na_2S_2O_3$ or $NaNO_3$ were studied with respect to the disappearence of transition metal ions from the source phase as a function of time. Cation transports for various two component or three component equimolar mixture of transition metal and $Cu^{2+}$ in a emulsion membrane system incorporating macrocyclic ligand (HT18C6) as carrier were determinded. $Cu^{2+}$ was transported higher rates than the other $M^{2+}$ in the mixture solution. Equilibrium constants for cation-source phase co-anion, cation macrocycle and cation-receiving phase reagent interaction are examined as parameters for the prediction of cation transport selectivities.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2011

Metal waste generated from the pyroprocessing of 10 MtU of spent fuel was classified by comparing the specific activity of a relevant radionuclide with the limit value of the specific activity specified in the Korean acceptance criteria for a lowand intermediate-level waste repository. A Korean Optimized Fuel Assembly design with a 17${\times}$17 array, an initial enrichment of 4.5 weight-percent, discharge burn-up of 55 GWD/MtU, and a 10-year cooling time was considered. Initially, the mass and volume of each structural component of the assembly were calculated in detail, and a source term analysis was subsequently performed using ORIGEN-S for these components. An activation cross-section library generated by the KENO-VI/ORIGEN-S module was utilized for top-end and bottom-end pieces. As a result, an Inconel grid plate, a SUS plenum spring, a SUS guide tube subpart, SUS top-end and bottom-end pieces, and an Inconel top-end leaf spring were determined to be unacceptable for the Gyeongju low- and intermediate-level waste repository, as these waste products exceeded the acceptance criteria. In contrast, a Zircaloy grid plate and guide tube can be placed in the Gyeongju repository. Non-contaminated Zircaloy cladding occupying 76% of the metal waste was found to have a lower level of specific activity than the limit value. However, Zircaloy cladding contaminated by fission products and actinides during the decladding process of pyroprocessing was revealed to have 52 and 2 times higher specific activity levels than the limit values for alpha and $^{90}Sr$, respectively. Finally, it was found that 88.7% of the metal waste from the 17${\times}$17 Korean Optimized Fuel Assembly design should be disposed of in a deep geological repository. Therefore, it can be summarized that separation technology with a higher decontamination factor for transuranics and strontium should be developed for the efficient management of metal waste resulting from pyroprocessing.