Effect of surfactant concentration on the long-term properties of a colloidal CBR decontamination gel

Alban Gossard (1) , Fabien Frances (1) , Camille-Marie Aloin (1) , Clara Penavayre (1) , Nicolas Fabrègue (1) , Celia Lepeytre (1)

1 DMRC - Département de recherche sur les procédés pour la mine et le recyclage du combustible

Chemically, biologically or radiologically-contaminated surfaces can be treated using colloidal "vacuumable" gels containing alumina particles as a thickening agent, decontaminating solutions to inhibit/eliminate biological and chemical contaminants, and Pluronic PE 6200 as a surfactant to adjust the gel's physicochemical properties. These gels have been shown to remain efficient even after prolonged storage. In the present study, the properties of gels with different surfactant concentrations were monitored over several months using rheological analyses, contact angle measurements and ion chromatography. Results show that the surfactant reacts with the hypochlorite ions in the decontaminating solution. This leads to sedimentation, which modifies the rheological properties of the gel. Increasing the surfactant concentration ensures the physicochemical properties of the gel are preserved for longer, but because the surfactant reacts with the hypochlorite ions, the concentration of the latter decreases drastically and thus so do the decontamination properties of the gel. There is therefore a trade-off between the efficiency of the gel against chemical and biological contamination at a given time and how long its physicochemical properties are preserved, the optimal balance depending on its intended use.

Keywords: CBRN; gel; decontamination; surfactant; rheology

Domains: Chemical Sciences

Alban Gossard, Fabien Frances, Camille-Marie Aloin, Clara Penavayre, Nicolas Fabrègue, et al.. Effect of surfactant concentration on the long-term properties of a colloidal CBR decontamination gel. Physical Review Fluids, 2021, 6, pp.410. ⟨10.3390/fluids6110410⟩. ⟨cea-03518638⟩