• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.183-186
• /
• 2007

The type of mixed gel network of $\kappa$-carrageenan/agar was determined by applying rheological principles. Apparent Young's modulus of the mixed gels was mathematically analyzed with (a) simply adding the moduli of two component gels, (b) phase-separated type's upper and lower bound models, (c) interpenetrating type's logarithmic model. The experimental data fitted the estimates from the operation (a). Whereas, as for the models (b), the experimental values in the agar-rich region fitted the estimates of the upper bound model, but in the $\kappa$-carrageenan-rich region slightly deviated from those of the lower bound model. It reflected an evidence of a phase-separated type, although it was not typical, that there must be data good-fit in the agar-rich and $\kappa$-carrageenan-rich regions with the upper and lower bound models, respectively. Experimental values disagreed with estimates of the model (c). Gel time was analyzed to evince the phase-separated type. As agar concentrations increased at a fixed amount of $\kappa$-carrageenan, gel time gradually decreased and then sharply increased and decreased again. The pattern of such change in gel time also represented a typical behavior of phase-separated type's mixed gels.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.57-65
• /
• 2005

This study suggested a new method for the solidification of molten salt waste generated from the electro-metallurgical process in the spent fuel treatment. Using binary material system, sodium silicate and phosphoric acid, metal chlorides were converted into metal phosphate in the micro-reaction module formed by SiO$_{2} particles. The volatile element in the reaction module would little vaporized below 1100$^{circ}$C After the gel product was mixed with borosilicate glass powder and thermally treated at 1000$^{circ}$C, li exists as Li$_{3}$PO$_4$ separated from glass phase and, Cs and Sr would be incorporated into an amorphous phase from XRD analysis. In case of the addition of ZrCl$_{4}$ to the binary system, the gel products were transformed into NZP structure considered as an prospective ceramic waste form after heat-treatment above 700 $^{circ}$C. From these results, the gel-route pretreatment can be considered as an effective approach to the solidincation of molten salt waste by the confirmed process or waste form and this also would be an alternative method on the ANL method using zeolites in USA by the confirmation of its chemical durability as an future work.