Separation and Enrichment of Xenon in Air

70344 The xenon content of air is a marker for underground nuclear tests. However, the gas must be separated and enriched to facilitate analysis because its concentration is extremely low. This project will fabricate a membrane concentrator, based on nitrogen-permeable membranes, that is able to enrich the xenon content of air at least 30-fold. In Phase I, candidate membranes will be prepared and evaluated as membrane stamps to determine nitrogen/xenon selectivity and nitrogen permeability. The best membranes will be fabricated into bench-scale modules containing one square meter of membrane for evaluation with nitrogen/xenon mixtures. Based on the data obtained, a design for the concentration device will be prepared. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: A membrane concentrator to separate xenon from air to facilitate analysis would have a limited market; however, once developed, similar devices could be used to separate toxic VOCs from air, which would have a much larger market.