DECONTAMINATION MATERIALS, METHODS FOR REMOVING CONTAMINANT MATTER FROM A POROUS MATERIAL, AND SYSTEMS AND STRIPPABLE COATINGS FOR DECONTAMINATING STRUCTURES THAT INCLUDE POROUS MATERIAL

• US 20070240733A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute), Montana State University
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: AVCI, RECEP, FOX, ROBERT, GROENEWOLD, GARY
• Granted Patent: US 7,723,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/1
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0014 by incorporation in a layer which is removed with the contaminants
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/34 from hydroxy compounds or their metallic derivatives C08G65/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 79/025 Polyphosphazenes
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 85/02 containing phosphorus

Abstract

Methods of removing contaminant matter from porous materials include applying a polymer material to a contaminated surface, irradiating the contaminated surface to cause redistribution of contaminant matter, and removing at least a portion of the polymer material from the surface. Systems for decontaminating a contaminated structure comprising porous material include a radiation device configured to emit electromagnetic radiation towards a surface of a structure, and at least one spray device configured to apply a capture material onto the surface of the structure. Polymer materials that can be used in such methods and systems include polyphosphazine-based polymer materials having polyphosphazine backbone segments and side chain groups that include selected functional groups. The selected functional groups may include iminos, oximes, carboxylates, sulfonates, β-diketones, phosphine sulfides, phosphates, phosphites, phosphonates, phosphinates, phosphine oxides, monothio phosphinic acids, and dithio phosphinic acids.

Claims

1. A polyphosphazine-based polymer material comprising a plurality of polyphosphazine backbones having a chemical structure represented as

2. The polyphospazine-based polymer material of claim 1, wherein n is an integer between about 6,000 and about 10,000.

3. The polyphospazine-based polymer material of claim 1, wherein a film of the polyphosphazine-based polymer material having a thickness of less than about one centimeter is substantially transparent to at least one wavelength of radiation in a range extending from about 200 nanometers to about 25 centimeters.

4. The polyphosphazine-based polymer material of claim 1, wherein the polyphosphazine-based polymer material is configured to exhibit an average pull index with respect to a material to which it is applied in a range extending from about 40 cm⁻

1 to about 200 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

5. The polyphosphazine-based polymer material of claim 4, wherein the polyphosphazine-based polymer material is configured to exhibit an average pull index with respect to a material to which it is applied in a range extending from about 60 cm⁻

1 to about 100 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

6. The polyphosphazine-based polymer of claim 1, wherein the polyphosphazine-based polymer material exhibits a maximum tensile strength in a range extending from about 1 MPa to about 60 MPa.

7. The polyphosphazine-based polymer material of claim 1, wherein R₂ comprises an alkyl group.

8. The polyphosphazine-based polymer material of claim 1, wherein R₂ comprises a phosphorous atom of a polyphosphazine backbone or a plurality of atoms providing a covalently bonded link to a phosphorous atom of a polyphosphazine backbone.

9. The polyphosphazine-based polymer material of claim 1, wherein the polyphosphazine-based polymer material comprises a copolymer material.

10. A method of removing contaminant matter from a porous material, the method comprising:

applying a polymer material to a surface of a porous material comprising contaminant matter in at least one pore thereof;

irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation to cause redistribution of the contaminant matter; and

removing at least a portion of the polymer material having at least a portion of the contaminant matter bound thereto from the surface of the porous material.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein applying a polymer material to a surface of a porous material comprises applying a polymer material to a surface of a porous material comprising radionuclides in at least one pore thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein applying a polymer material to a surface of a porous material comprises applying a polymer material to a surface of a porous material comprising at least one of cesium and cobalt in at least one pore thereof.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material comprises irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in a range extending from about 200 nanometers to about 25 centimeters.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material comprises irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in a range extending from about 200 nanometers to about 2500 nanometers.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material comprises irradiating the surface of the porous material with a beam of substantially coherent electromagnetic radiation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation comprises irradiating the surface of the porous material with a laser beam emitted by a laser device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material with a laser beam emitted by a laser device comprises scanning the laser beam over a region of the surface of the porous material.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein scanning the laser beam over a region of the surface of the porous material comprises scanning the laser beam over a region having a surface area greater than about one-hundred times a surface area of a spot size of the laser beam emitted by the laser device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material with a laser beam emitted by a laser device comprises selectively tailoring the power of the laser beam to provide a selected level of redistribution of the contaminant material and a selected level of ablation of the porous material.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein selectively tailoring the power of the laser beam comprises selectively tailoring the power of the laser beam to substantially prevent ablation of the porous material.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein applying a polymer material comprises applying a polymer material that is substantially transparent to at least one wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material comprises irradiating the surface of the porous material with the electromagnetic radiation after applying the polymer material to the surface of the porous material.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein applying a polymer material comprises:

heating the polymer material to a temperature above a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic polymer material; and

spraying the heated polymer material onto the surface of the porous material.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein applying a polymer material comprises:

providing a curable substantially liquid polymer precursor material;

applying the polymer precursor material to the surface of the porous material; and

curing the polymer precursor material to form the polymer material.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation comprises substantially simultaneously curing of the polymer precursor material and redistribution of the contaminant matter.

26. The method of claim 10, wherein applying a polymer material comprises applying a polyphosphazine-based polymer material.

27. The method of claim 10, wherein applying a polymer material comprises applying a polymer material comprising functional groups configured to selectively bind to the contaminant matter.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein applying a polymer material comprises applying a polymer material comprising functional groups configured to selectively bind to a radionuclide.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein applying a polymer material comprising functional groups comprises applying a polymer material comprising functional groups, at least some of the functional groups comprising oxygen atoms.

30. The method of claim 10, further comprising estimating an amount of contaminant matter remaining in the porous material.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein estimating an amount of contaminant matter remaining in the porous material comprises detecting contaminant matter remaining in the porous material.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein estimating an amount of contaminant matter remaining in the porous material comprises detecting contaminant matter bound to the polymer material after removing at least a portion of the polymer material from the surface of the porous material.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising repeating the acts of applying a polymer material to a surface of a porous material, irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation, removing at least a portion of the polymer material from the surface of the porous material, and estimating an amount of contaminant matter remaining in the porous material until a selected level of contaminant matter remains in the porous material.

34. The method of claim 10, further comprising applying a chemical reagent to the surface of the porous material prior to applying the polymer material to the surface of the porous material, to facilitate redistribution of the contaminant matter when the surface of the porous material is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein applying a chemical reagent to the surface of the porous material comprises applying a β

-diketone to the surface of the porous material.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein applying a β

-diketone to the surface of the porous material comprises applying acetylacetone to the surface of the porous material.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein applying a chemical reagent to the surface of the porous material comprises applying at least one of diglyme and sodium borohydride to the surface of the porous material.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein applying a chemical reagent to the surface of the porous material comprises applying molecules having oxygen donor ligands or nitrogen donor ligands to the surface of the porous material.

39. The method of claim 10, wherein irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation comprises irradiating the surface of the porous material with electromagnetic radiation having a multi-modal distribution of wavelengths.

40. A system for decontaminating a contaminated structure comprising porous material, the system comprising:

at least one radiation device configured and oriented to emit electromagnetic radiation towards a surface of a contaminated structure; and

at least one spray device configured and oriented to apply a capture material onto the surface of the contaminated structure.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the at least one radiation device is configured to emit at least one beam of substantially coherent electromagnetic radiation towards the surface of the contaminated structure.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the at least one radiation device comprises at least one laser device.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the at least one spray device is configured to spray a substantially liquid polymer or a substantially liquid polymer precursor material onto the surface of the contaminated structure.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the system further comprises an electrical control device configured to selectively control at least one of the radiation device and the spray device.

45. The system of claim 40, further comprising a vehicle, at least a portion of the radiation device and at least a portion of the spray device being mounted to the vehicle.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the vehicle is configured to be operated from a remote location.

47. The system of claim 45, further comprising at least one robotic arm mounted to the vehicle.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the at least one radiation device is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation towards a surface of a contaminated structure from at least one radiation port mounted on the at least one robotic arm.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the at least one spray device is configured to spray capture material towards a surface of a contaminated structure from at least one spray port or nozzle mounted on the at least one robotic arm.