Using graphene quantum dots for treating radioactive liquid waste

de Menezes, Frederico Duarte; Alencar, Luciana Magalhães Rebelo; dos Santos, Clenilton Costa; da Silva, Maria Isabel Barbosa; Santos-Oliveira, Ralph

Using graphene quantum dots for treating radioactive liquid waste

2020

de Menezes, Frederico Duarte | Alencar, Luciana Magalhães Rebelo | dos Santos, Clenilton Costa | da Silva, Maria Isabel Barbosa | Santos-Oliveira, Ralph

The use of smart materials, especially the carbon-based nanomaterials, is increasing each day. Among the several carbon-based nanomaterials, graphene quantum dots are one of the most impressive ones, not only by its quantum behavior but due to the adsorption quality conferred by electrostatic interactions from the negatively charged groups as the huge surface area (2.630 m2/g). In this study, we developed and tested graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as smart nano-adsorbents of uranium (²³⁸U) from the radioactive industry waste. The GQDs were developed in a size range of 160–220 nm using a totally green route. The results showed that the GQDs were capable to adsorb almost 40% of the uranium (²³⁸U) in alamine 3366 solution. Also, the results demonstrated that using GQDs treatment-like smart nanomaterials for radioactive waste in a volume reduction of almost 90% is achieved, helping the storage process as the final disposal of this material. We may conclude that GQDs may represent a smart device for the treatment of radioactive waste as an alternative of absorbent in the radioactive industry.

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