Different routes of bismuth mineral transformation during pertechnetate and perrhenate uptake for subsurface remediation†
Abstract
We investigated basic bismuth subnitrate for removal of radioactive technetium-99 as pertechnetate (99TcO4−) from contaminated groundwater. This material removed 93% of the initial concentration of 99TcO4− within a week via formation of pH-dependent mineral phases that were identified here, but not reported previously. Perrhenate (ReO4−) removal was also studied because it is a widely used non-radiological analogue for 99TcO4−, considering their similar physicochemical properties. We found that removal of ReO4− was not identical to removal of 99TcO4− and led to formation of an additional transitional phase. This demonstrates that perrhenate and pertechnetate have different kinetics of contaminant removal as a result of variations in mineral transformation.
- This article is part of the themed collection: Recent Open Access Articles