Sulfur vacancy-rich bismuth sulfide nanowire derived from CAU-17 for radioactive iodine capture in complex environments: Performance and intrinsic mechanisms

Kai-Wei Chen; Xin-Yu Zhou; Xiao-Jun Dai; Yi-Ting Chen; Shu-Xuan Li; Chun-Hui Gong; Peng Wang; Ping Mao; Yan Jiao; Kai Chen; Yi Yang

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134584

Sulfur vacancy-rich bismuth sulfide nanowire derived from CAU-17 for radioactive iodine capture in complex environments: Performance and intrinsic mechanisms

J Hazard Mater. 2024 Jul 15:473:134584. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134584. Epub 2024 May 11.

Authors

Kai-Wei Chen¹, Xin-Yu Zhou¹, Xiao-Jun Dai¹, Yi-Ting Chen¹, Shu-Xuan Li¹, Chun-Hui Gong¹, Peng Wang¹, Ping Mao², Yan Jiao³, Kai Chen³, Yi Yang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
² Key Laboratory for Palygorskite Science and Applied Technology of Jiangsu Province, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian 223003, China.
³ Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
⁴ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China. Electronic address: yangyi@njust.edu.cn.

PMID: 38761762
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134584

Abstract

Effective capture and immobilization of volatile radioiodine from the off-gas of post-treatment plants is crucial for nuclear safety and public health, considering its long half-life, high toxicity, and environmental mobility. Herein, sulfur vacancy-rich Vs-Bi₂S₃@C nanocomposites were systematically synthesized via a one-step solvothermal vulcanization of CAU-17 precursor. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that the as-synthesized materials exhibited superior iodine adsorption capacity (1505.8 mg g^-1 at 200 °C), fast equilibrium time (60 min), and high chemisorption ratio (91.7%), which might benefit from the nanowire structure and abundant sulfur vacancies of Bi₂S₃. Furthermore, Vs-Bi₂S₃@C composites exhibited excellent iodine capture performance in complex environments (high temperatures, high humidity and radiation exposure). Mechanistic investigations revealed that the I₂ capture by fabricated materials primarily involved the chemical adsorption between Bi₂S₃ and I₂ to form BiI₃, and the interaction of I₂ with electrons provided by sulfur vacancies to form polyiodide anions (I₃^-). The post-adsorbed iodine samples were successfully immobilized into commercial glass fractions in a stable form (Bi_xO_yI), exhibiting a normalized iodine leaching rate of 3.81 × 10^-5 g m^-2 d^-1. Overall, our work offers a novel strategy for the design of adsorbent materials tailed for efficient capture and immobilization of volatile radioiodine.

Keywords: Bismuth sulfide; Immobilization; MOFs-derived; Radioiodine adsorption; Sulfur vacancies.