Identification of Chemical Form of Carbon Released from SUS304 and SUS316 in Alkaline Solution under Low-oxygen Condition

Abstract

To classify the chemical form of stable carbon released from unirradiated stainless steel, which is the material used to simulate irradiated stainless steel, under highly alkaline and low-oxygen conditions, type 304 and 316 stainless-steel powders were immersed in 0.005 M NaOH solution. Gas and liquid samples were analyzed to identify the chemical form of carbon released from the stainless steel. The liquid samples were divided into unfiltered and filtered samples. In the gaseous phase, hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane were not detected. In the liquid phase, carboxylic acids (formic and acetic acids) were detected. However, the sum of the carbon concentrations of the carboxylic acids was significantly lower than the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration in the unfiltered samples. In the filtered samples, the TOC concentration was closer to the sum of the carbon concentrations than that for the unfiltered samples. In addition, the concentrations of the metallic elements (particularly Fe and Cr), which are the main constituents of the stainless steels, tended to decrease upon ultrafiltration. This suggests that the sorption of carbon on metallic compounds (e.g., colloidal iron hydroxide) may have occurred.