XploSafe (United States)

This chapter presents an experiment in which a mineral-based ion-exchanger produced by XploSafe, LLC, Xtractite, was tested for its ability to adsorb strontium and uranium. All chemicals were used as received without further purification. Water was purified by reverse osmosis followed by deionization. Xtractite sorbent was obtained from XploSafe, LLC. Stock metal solutions were made from dissolution of nitrate salts in water with the actual concentrations being determined analytically. The amount of solute sorbed per gram of sorbent at equilibrium and the sorption rate constant were evaluated for the target materials. Xtractite was a novel ion-exchanger consisting of a nano-particulate inorganic calcium- containing phase supported on a high surface alumina support. It was capable of undergoing ion exchange with a variety of metals, releasing calcium into solution and binding the toxic metals as compounds that are generally extremely insoluble in the normal pH range of natural water.