Novel, high-performance sorbents for chlorine capture

Chlorine and metal chlorides are produced during molten chloride pyrochemical processes as part of the molten chloride reactor fuel cycle. These are valuable, toxic, and/or radioactive species which must be recovered and can be recycled back into the molten chloride reactor processes. There are no commercial technologies that can selectively capture, store, and release metal chlorides and chlorine. There are commercial technologies that can only capture chlorine; however, all known technologies are single-use and cannot capture chlorides. This illustrates a critical need to develop nuclear waste reprocessing technologies that can efficiently capture and release chlorine and metal chlorides that are produced in the molten chloride reactor fuel cycle. This small business will develop a high performance, reusable, and remotely handled turnkey absorber system that can efficiently capture chlorine and metal chlorides from molten chloride reactor fuel cycle. The key innovation is high performance, reusable sorbents that are engineered with surface functionalities which enable selective chlorine capture, storage, and release. The proposed approach will result in a regenerative sorbent system with enhanced capabilities, reduced operational cost, and enhanced safety compared to that of single-use technologies. In Phase I, this small business successfully demonstrated novel sorbents with high performance for chlorine capture, storage, and release: (a) high capture capacity (>99.99% weight), (b) high capture loading (> 0.18 g g-1 ), (c) robust storage (>7 days), and (d) fast desorption kinetics (<60 minutes) with robust sorbent reusability. The combined results provide a robust foundation for technology maturation in Phase II. In Phase II, the planned efforts are as follows: demonstrate scale-up sorbent production at kilogram levels, build a prototype absorber system and demonstrate function under operationally relevant conditions, develop a comprehensive pilot-scale system design and modeling that will serve as a blueprint for technology transition, perform a comprehensive technoeconomic analysis and develop transition plans, and engage lead industry partners for technology transition into government and commercial markets. This innovative technology is applicable for a wide range of applications including molten chloride reactor fuel cycle, waste remediation, chemical industrial processes, as well as general safety for various government, industry, and civilian sectors.