High‐Silica CHA Zeolite Membrane with Ultra‐High Selectivity and Irradiation Stability for Krypton/Xenon Separation. Issue 16 (8th March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Xuerui; Zhou, Tao; Zhang, Ping; Yan, Wenfu; Li, Yongguo; Peng, Li; Veerman, Dylan; Shi, Mengyang; Gu, Xuehong; Kapteijn, Freek
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie international edition. Volume 60:Issue 16(2021)
• Page Start: 9032
• Page End: 9037
• Publication Date: 2021-03-08
• Subjects: CHA zeolite -- gas separation -- krypton -- membrane -- xenon; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202100172
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1433-7851

Abstract

Abstract: Capture and storage of the long‐lived 85 Kr is an efficient approach to mitigate the emission of volatile radionuclides from the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. However, it is challenging to separate krypton (Kr) from xenon (Xe) because of the chemical inertness and similar physical properties. Herein we prepared high‐silica CHA zeolite membranes with ultra‐high selectivity and irradiation stability for Kr/Xe separation. The suitable aperture size and rigid framework endures the membrane a strong size‐exclusion effect. The ultrahigh selectivity of 51–152 together with the Kr permeance of 0.7–1.3×10 −8 mol m −2 s −1 Pa −1 of high‐silica CHA zeolite membranes far surpass the state‐of‐the‐art polymeric membranes. The membrane is among the most stable polycrystalline membranes for separation of humid Kr/Xe mixtures. Together with the excellent irradiation stability, high‐silica CHA zeolite membranes pave the way to separate radioactive Kr from Xe for a notable reduction of the volatile nuclear waste storage volume. Abstract : High‐silica CHA zeolite membranes show ultra‐high Kr/Xe selectivity and superior hydrothermal stability. Together with their irradiation stability, high‐silica CHA zeolite membranes can pave the way to enrich radioactive 85 Kr from xenon for a notable decrease in the volatile nuclear waste volume.