• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.400-414
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• 2021

Under high-level radioactive waste repository conditions, bentonite as an engineered barrier material undergoes thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes. We report the applications of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) imaging technique on the characterization and analysis of bentonite over the past decade to provide a reference of the utilization of this technique and the recent research trends. This overview of the X-ray CT technique applications includes the characterization of the bentonite either in pellets or powder form. X-ray imaging has provided a means to extract grain information at the microscale and identify crack networks responsible for the pellets' heterogeneity. Regarding samples of pellets-powder mixtures under hydration, X-ray CT allowed the identification and monitoring of heterogeneous zones throughout the test. Some results showed how zones with pellets only swell faster compared to others composed of pellets and powder. Moreover, the behavior of fissures between grains and bentonite matrix was observed to change under drying and hydrating conditions, tending to close during the former and open during the latter. The development of specializing software has allowed obtaining strain fields from a sequence of images. In more recent works, X-ray CT technique has served to estimate the dry density, water content, and particle displacement at different testing times. Also, when temperature was added to the hydration process of a sample, CT technology offered a way to observe localized and global density changes over time.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.21-29
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• 2024

Globally, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is surging due to carbon-neutral strategies aimed at decarbonization. Consequently, the demand for lithium-ion batteries, which are essential components of EVs, is also rising, leading to an increase in the generation of spent batteries. This has prompted research into the recycling of spent batteries to recover valuable metals. In this study, we aimed to selectively leach and recover lithium from the cathode material of spent LFP batteries. To enhance the reaction surface area and reactivity, the binder in the cathode material powder was removed, and the material was subjected to heat treatment in both atmospheric and nitrogen environments across various temperature ranges. This was followed by a mechanochemical process for aqueous leaching. Initially, after heat treatment, the powder was converted into a soluble lithium compound using sodium persulfate (Na₂S₂O₈) in a mechanochemical reaction. Subsequently, aqueous leaching was performed using distilled water. This study confirmed the changes in the characteristics of the cathode material powder due to heat treatment. The final heat treatment in a nitrogen atmosphere resulted in a lithium leaching efficiency of approximately 100% across all temperature ranges.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 2013

This study has been carried out to elucidate the characteristics of the dissolution for Thermal Decomposed Solid Waste of uranium-bearing sludge (TDSW), the removal of impurities by an alkalization in a nitric acid dissolving solution of TDSW, and the selective removal (/recovery) of uranium by an acidification in an carbonate alkali solution, respectively. TDSW generated by thermal decomposition of U-bearing sludge which was produced in the uranium conversion plant operation, was stored in KAERI as a solid-powder type. It is found that the dissolution of TDSW is more effective in nitric acid dissolution than oxidative-dissolution with carbonate. At 1 M nitric acid solution, TDSW was undissolved about 30wt% as a solid residue, and uranium contained in TDSW was dissolved more than 99%. In order to the alkalization for the nitric acid dissolving solution of TDSW, carbonate alkalization is more effective with respect to remove the impurities. At the carbonate alkali solution controlled to about 9 of pH, Al, Ca, Fe and Zn co-dissolved with U in dissolution step was removed about $98{\pm}1%$. On the other hand, U could be recovered more than 99% by an acidification at pH about 3 in a carbonate alkali solution, which was nearly removed the impurities, adding 0.5M $H_2O_2$. It was found that uranium could be selectively recovered (/removed) from TDSW.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6015-6022
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• 2013

It has been known that there are large amount of nitric acid and valuable metals, copper in the plating waste solution of automobile wheel. As nitric acid and valuable metals are high price and toxic, they should be recovered for economics and environment. Plating waste was extracted with TBP diluted with kerosene. The concentration of nitric acid in aqueous phase was analyzed by titration method by NaOH solution (0.1~1.0N) and the amount of metals by ICP-MS and ICP-AES. The concentration of copper in plating waste were 76,850 mg/L. The concentration of nitric acid in plating waste was 1.02 M. After three step extraction was performed with 50% TBP, each organic phase was stripped three times with distilled water to obtain 48.1% of nitric acid. Purity of final nitric acid was over 99.9% by ICP analysis. After recovery of nitric acid, copper was extracted with various solvent extractors like PC 88A, D2EPHA, LIX 84 and ISE 106. Among these extractors, 92% of copper was recovered by ISE 106 after 1st extraction and 30% $H_2SO_4$ stripping. Copper ion was reduced with $N_2H_4$ to make metal powders, respectively.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2013

There was a study for biological characteristics, except for physico-chemical and mineralogical properties, on the natural bentonite that is considered as a buffer material for the high-level radioactive waste disposal site. A bentonite slurry that was prepared from a local 'Gyeongju bentonite' in Korea was incubated in a serum bottle with nutrient media over 1 week and its stepwise change was observed with time. From the activated bentonite in the nutrient media, we can find a certain change of both solid and liquid phases. Some dark and fine sulfides began to be generated from dissolved sulfate solution, and 4 species of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were identified as living cells in samples that were periodically taken and incubated. These results show that sulfate-reducing (or metal-reducing) bacteria are adhering and existing in the powder of bentonite, suggesting that there may be a potential occurrence of longterm biogeochemical effects in and around the bentonite buffer in underground anoxic environmental conditions.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2013

Purpose: Waste parts of zirconia blocks and powders were remained after CAD/CAM process. In order to make these residual zirconia fit for practical use, zirconia single cores were produced by drain casting process. Methods: Remained zirconia blocks were reduced to powders with zirconia mortar, and screened with 180 mesh sieve. Zirconia slip was prepared from waste parts of zirconia by ball milling. Plaster molds for forming cores by slip casting were also prepared. Formed cores were removed from mold after partial drying. Dried cores were biscuit fired at $1,100^{\circ}C$ for 1hour. Biscuit fired cores were treated with tools to control the fitness and thickness. Finished cores were $2^{nd}$ fired at $1,500^{\circ}C$ for 1hour. Microstructure of cross section of core was observed by SEM. Results: When mill pot was filled with 100g of zirconia and alumina mixed powder, 300g of zirconia ball, and 180g of distilled water, the optimum slip for drain casting was obtained. Gypsum plaster for ceramic forming was more suitable then yellow stone plaster for casting process. SEM photograph showed the microstructure of fully dense with uniform grain size of zirconia and well dispersed alumina grains into the zirconia matrix. Conclusion: Zirconia single cores were produced by drain casting process. Drain casting is useful process to make these residual zirconia fit for practical use. Further study will be focused on the preparation of the bridge type cores by casting.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.30-35
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• 2008

Mixed acidophilic bacteria were approached for leaching of cobalt and lithium from wastes of lithium ion battery industries. The growth substrates for the mixed mesophilic bacteria are elemental sulfur and ferrous ion. Bioleaching of the metal was due to the protonic action of sulfate ion on the metals present in the waste. It was investigated that bioleaching of cobalt was faster than lithium. Bacterial action could leach out about 80 % of cobalt and 20 % of lithium from the solid wastes within 12 days of the experimental period. Higher solid/liquid ratio was found to be detrimental for bacterial growth due to the toxic nature of the metals. At high elemental sulfur concentration, the sulfur powder was observed to be in undissolved form and hence the leaching rate also decreased with increase of sulfur amount.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.231-241
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• 1995

It is well known that hydroxyapatite [$Ca_{10}(PO_4)_6(OH)_2$] have an exchangeability for various heavy metal ions in aqueous solution. To evalute the feasibility of employing the synthetic hydroxyapatites as an eliminatable exchanger for environmentally noxious caions in waste water, the adsorption properties, the removal capacities and the selectivity of the apatites for various cations were investigated in more detailed. The heavy metal cations have been exchanged in calcium part of hydroxyapatite. The order of the degree of amount exchanged of the investigated cations is $Pb^{2+}>Cd^{2+}>Zn^{2+}>Ba^{2+}$. The molar ratios between released $Cd^{2+}$ ions and remeved divalent metal cations in the reacted solution with hydroxyapatite are roughly close to an integer 1.0, suggesting that an ion-exchange reaction could have played a major role in the removal of heavy metals rather then an adsorption effect. The exchangeability of the hydroxyapatite powder of Ca/P molar ratio 1.67, which have specipic surface area of $104.5m^2g^{-1}$, appeared to be better then $237.6{\mu}g$ per g for $Pb^{2+}$ ions. The removal capacity of the heavy metal ions varies directly as particle size of hydroxyapatites. All evidences obtained indicate that the synthesized hydroxyapatite powders by precipitation reaction method can be employed as an effective cation exchanger for eliminating noxious ions in waste water even in some improvemental.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.179-182
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• 2001

The chloride volatilization method for the recovery of zirconium and removal of uranium from zirconium containing metallic wastes formed in spent fuel reprocessing was studied using the simulated alloy waste, i.e. the mixture of Zr foil and UO$_2$/U$_3$O$_{8}$ powder. When the simulated waste was heated to react with chlorine gas at 350- l00$0^{\circ}C$, the zirconium metal changed to volatile ZrCl$_4$showing high volatility ratio (Vzr) of 99%. The amount of volatilized uranium increases at higher temperatures causing lowering of decontamination factor (DF) of uranium. This is thought to be caused by the chlorination of UO$_2$ with ZrCl$_4$vapor. The highest DF value of 12.5 was obtained when the reaction temperature was 35$0^{\circ}C$. Addition of 10 vol.% oxygen gas into chlorine gas was effective for suppressing the volatilization of uranium, while the volatilization ratio of zirconium was decreased to 68% with the addition of 20 vol.% oxygen. In the case of the mixture of Zr foil and U$_3$O$_{8}$, the V value of uranium showed minimum (44%) at 40$0^{\circ}C$ with chlorine gas giving the highest DF value 24.3. When the 10 vol.% oxygen was added to chlorine gas, the V value of zirconium decreased to 82% at $600^{\circ}C$, but almost all the uranium volatilized (Vu=99%), which may be caused by the formation of volatile uranium chlorides under oxidative atmosphere.ere.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.231-238
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• 2013

In this study, the $TiO_2$ nano spheres were synthesized by Sol-gel method to give an excellent UV-blocking effect and increase waste adsorption. The pH value was adjusted to obtain a superb UV-blocking effect and adsorption capacity due to the high surface area which is the characteristics of porosity. Base treated $TiO_2$ showed outstanding characteristics. The adsorption of gycerine onto the $TiO_2$ sample using TGA resulted in a high surface area of 1.16 mg/mg. This also showed a high reflectance in the UV-A region. In order to find the optimum dispersion, inorganic powder particles were maintained their sizes as 180 nm for about 6 months. The size of particles were measured using ester oil and silicon oil. Overall, the results reveal that $TiO_2$ has an excellent capability sunscreen in the UV-A region and skin waste adsorption.