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News: A new study published in Environmental Science & Technology reports a breakthrough in removing tritium from contaminated water using a metal-organic framework (MOF).
About Tritium
- It is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.
- Properties:
- Atomic mass: It has an atomic mass of 3.014 and is considered an important and versatile radioisotope.
- Components: It consists of one proton and two neutrons. It is unstable.
- Half-life: The physical half-life of tritium is 12.33 years, meaning that it takes just over 12 years for tritium to decay to half of its original amount.
- When it bonds with oxygen, it forms tritiated water, or HTO.
- It decays over time, and while decaying, it emits beta radiation. As tritium decays, it changes to helium.
- Production: It is produced naturally from interactions of cosmic rays with gases in the upper atmosphere, and is also a by-product of nuclear reactors.
- Uses: It is combined with phosphor to produce self-luminous lighting used in exit signs, emergency lighting, and airport runway markers.
- It is also used as a radioactive tracer in biomedical research to study and diagnose diseases such as heart disease, cancer and AIDS.
- In the future, it is expected to play a key role in generating electricity through nuclear fusion reactors.
