The Origin of 99Tc in the Environment and Its Removal

Abstract

Technetium-99 (99Tc), as one of the important high-yield fission products, is a significant threat to the environment and human health. It is produced in large amounts by nuclear fission of 235U or 239Pu in nuclear reactions, though the quantity of Tc produced by the spontaneous fission of 238U or by decay of 99Mo in the nature which is very small. 99Tc in the environment originates from nuclear weapons tests, discharges from nuclear power plants, nuclear medicine and radiobiology. These activities generate large volumes of low and intermediate radioactive waste which can cause a significant impact on the environment if disposed without suitable treatment. Immobilization of 99Tc into a relatively small volume waste is vital for long term permanent disposal. High mobility and long half-life of 99Tc considered to be one of the most important radionuclides in safety assessment of environmental radioactivity as well as nuclear waste management. Effective removal of radioactive technetium (99Tc) from contaminated water is of enormous importance from an environmental and public health perspective, yet many current methodologies are highly ineffective. This paper summarizes physico-chemical separation procedures emphasizing those that are the most used in practice. Classic sorbents such as activated carbons, ion exchange resins as well, as new materials, such as metal−organic frameworks and graphene based membranes are described in the paper.