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Radiolysis of aerated aqueous ammonia solutions

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Abstract

The radiolytic behaviors of aqueous ammonia solutions under γ-ray irradiation were investigated, focusing on several factors, including initial ammonia concentration, absorbed dose, and H3BO3 concentration. The main species including ammonia, H2O2, nitrogen oxides, and H2, were quantitatively analyzed. The results revealed the significant influence of the initial ammonia concentration on the radiolytic behavior of the aqueous ammonia solution. The existence of ammonia in the solution exhibited suppression of the concentrations of H2O2 and O2. Furthermore, the radiolysis of aerated aqueous ammonia solution led to the formation of nitrogen oxides (NO2− and NO3−). This process was driven by multiple oxidation reactions, in which O2 and ·OH played crucial roles. Interestingly, the addition of H3BO3 provided protection to ammonia during γ irradiation, while the concentration of H2O2 was increased.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Ye Qi-sun Science Foundation of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U2241289). We appreciate Mei Sun, Wanting Liu, and Shangfei Wang from the University of Science and Technology of China for their support for the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 96, Jinzhai Road, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Zifang Guo, Limin Jiao, Yifan Li, Zijian Lin, Xiangyi Du, Xing Zhao, Xuan Gao & Mingzhang Lin

  2. China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute, No. 1001 Shangbu Middle Road, Shenzhen, 518028, China

    Yang Zhang & Chunyu Liu

  3. Anhui Environmental Radiation Supervision Station, Hefei, 230031, China

    Guobing Yu

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  1. Zifang Guo
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Guo, Z., Zhang, Y., Jiao, L. et al. Radiolysis of aerated aqueous ammonia solutions. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 5059–5070 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09239-y

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