Researchers find new chemical to absorb radioactive cesium

A local research team developed a new chemical that absorbs 40 times more radioactive cesium than currently used chemical. The new chemical code-named SGU-45 is also able to absorb cesium at a speed twice faster than the currently used titanosilicate, a combined chemical between silicon and titanium. Yoon Kyung-byung, head of the research team and a chemistry professor at Sogang University, said that this new chemical collects and absorbs cesium from seawater, which is contaminated from reprocessing nuclear fuels, will contribute to boost safety when handling potential nuclear reactor accidents. It is applied for a domestic patent. and will be able to The paper was published on Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a Germany-based chemistry journal, late last month, to be selected as one of top papers with upper 5 percent importance.