Experimental study for the decontamination of various surfaces from ⁹⁹Mo using PVA/Borax/Al(OH)₃ strippable hydrogel

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a beneficial polymer capable of forming hydrogels helpful in a wide range of applications. Hydrogels based on cross-linking of PVA with borax, and able to incorporate with a decontaminating agent have been used in the decontamination of ⁹⁹Mo from contaminated surfaces. Aluminum hydroxide has been introduced in the formulations of PVA-borax, to increase the gel efficiency for ⁹⁹Mo decontamination from surfaces. The formulations were investigated with glass, stainless steel, and wood as examples of different surfaces. When the hydrogel is sprayed on different surfaces, it forms rapidly and adheres well. Moreover, the hydrogel was shown to efficiently decontaminate surfaces contaminated with ⁹⁹Mo by a maximum value of decontamination factor (D.F) for glass, stainless steel, and wood to be 43.5, 31.3, and 19.6 respectively.