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- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received February 23, 2026
Accepted May 15, 2026
Available online September 25, 2026
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits
unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Application of Tertiary Amine (HMTA and TEDA) Modified Activated Carbon in Iodine Removal from Radiological Releases in Nuclear Installation
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-026-00750-y
Abstract
Molecular iodine (I₂) released from nuclear power plants (NPPs) causes some serious environmental and health hazards.
It is a paramount requirement to develop highly effective adsorbents for its capture. This work evaluates the performance
of hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and triethylenediamine (TEDA) impregnated activated carbon (AC) for I₂ capture
from NPP off-gas streams. Pristine AC samples were modified via incipient wetness impregnation and sublimation with
different wt% of HMTA and TEDA (such as 2, 5, 8, 10, and 15 wt%). Physicochemical characteristics of both pristine
and modified AC samples were analyzed through several techniques such as Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction
(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), to evaluate
the modification effects on surface morphology, composition, and textural properties. Breakthrough experiments were
conducted under simulated NPP release conditions to investigates the removal efficiency of I2. Breakthrough performance
experiment examined the I₂ adsorption capacities by varying different parameters such as impregnant loading and contact
time. Overall, the results indicate a substantial increase in I₂ adsorption capacity for tertiary amine IAC as compared to
pristine AC, highlighting the fundamental role of nitrogen-containing functional groups. To the best of our knowledge, this
is first study reporting the application of HMTA-IACs for I2 removal. This novel modification may improve I2 adsorption
capacity, adsorption affinity, and overall removal efficiency. HMTA IAC sample (CM14) achieved the highest adsorption
capacity of 698 mg/g at 333 K, while TEDA IAC (CM23) yielded a maximum of 419 mg/g under identical conditions.
Adsorption kinetics followed pseudo-second-order model (R2=0.998), well fitted the Langmuir equation. Thermodynamic
analyses proved the exothermic, spontaneous, and chemically driven nature of the process. Comprehensive evaluations
based on kinetic, dynamic, adsorption isotherm, and thermodynamic study clarified the preferential I₂ uptake on tertiary
amine-modified AC (HMTA and TEDA). By improving I2 retention efficiency without compromising structural integrity,
HMTA-modified AC contributes significantly to enhance the safety system of nuclear energy technologies.
