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Deactivation of Hydrophobic Pt/SDBC-Catalyst for H2/HTO-Exchange Reaction Destined for Tritium Removal in Reprocessing Plant

Y.-Z. Wei, K. Takeshita, M. Shimizu, M. Kumagai, Y. Takashima, S. Matsumoto

Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 28 / Number 3P2 / October 1995 / Pages 1585-1590

Tritium Waste Management and Discharge Control / Proceedings of the Fifth Topical Meeting on Tritium Technology In Fission, Fusion, and Isotopic Applications Belgirate, Italy May 28-June 3, 1995 / dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST95-A30638

Deactivation of a hydrophobic Pt/SDBC catalyst for the H2/HTO isotopic exchange reaction used to remove tritium from the waste water generated in a nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant has been studied experimentally. The catalyst was poisoned reversibly by a small amount of HN03 and could be regenerated by washing with water followed by drying in an inert gas. As a countermeasure against this poisoning, the neutralization of the waste water was found to be effective. The presence of I2 in the waste water caused a sharp decrease in the activity of the catalyst, due to the irreversible adsorption of I2 onto the catalyst surface. The I2 poisoning could be prevented by the conversion of I2 into I or IO3 by neutralization or redox reaction. TBP and the neutral nitrate salts of fission products such as Sr(NO3)2 showed negligible poisoning effects on the catalyst.