Fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol-diatomite hybrid aerogel and its application for treatment of tritium-containing waste oil

Tritium-containing waste oil, a typical pollutant from the atomic energy industry, has attracted significant attention to deal with it. Adsorption fixation is an important way to treat waste oil, and the development of suitable adsorption materials represents a significant research challenge. In this paper, polyvinyl alcohol-diatomite hybrid aerogel (PVA/D-A) was successfully prepared by freeze-drying method. Taking pump oil as the main representative of tritium-containing waste oil, the adsorption ability of diatomite and PVA/D-A to pump oil was measured, including adsorption capacity (Q, g/g) and oil penetration rate (OPR, %). The experimental results indicate that the Q and OPR of diatomite are 0.35 g/g and 30.25%, respectively, while the PVA/D-A is 7.45 g/g and 1.29%, respectively. Concurrently, the incorporation of diatomite makes the material stronger and more durable. This paper provided new insights for treatmenting tritium-containing organic waste oil and expanded the application fields of PVA and diatomite.