 Initiatives has been following the progress of Selentec, a small company in Atlanta, as it moves ahead with its MAG*SEPSM technology. Most recently, Selentec has applied its technology to create a unique process for removing cesium from milk. In November, its milk decontamination system was commissioned at a ceremony at the Ovruch Dairy in Ukraine. For more on Selentec and MAG*SEPSM, see the August 1995 and October 1996 issues of Initiatives. A technology that won a 1997 R&D 100 Award will also be a winner in the Ukraine where fallout from the world's worst nuclear power plant accident on April 16, 1986 has contaminated more than 38,000 square miles and poisoned land, air, water, and people. MAG*SEPSM, a separation technology that uses magnetic particles to selectively adsorb contaminants such as heavy metals, radionuclides, or nitrates from water or other liquids, will tackle one part of the contaminated area's food chain by decontaminating milk. It was developed by Selentec, a small business in Atlanta. DOE's Office of Science and Technology is working with the company to build a MAG*SEPSM particle production facility in Vandalia, Ohio where MAG*SEPSM particles will be produced on a commercial scale for use in the cleanup of DOE's nuclear weapons complex.
The milk treatment system has been installed at the Ovruch Dairy in Ukraine. Once successfully tested, the Ukrainian government plans to install treatment systems in 30 dairies, 10 in 1998. Selentec has been working with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department, Argonne National Laboratory, and the Ukrainian government to deploy its technology to treat radioactively contaminated milk. |
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MAG*SEPSM
particles have a magnetic core made of iron, a
polymer-based protective covering, and an adsorbent outer
covering. For the milk treatment application, the
particles will be added to milk to adsorb radioactive
contaminants and are later removed from the milk with a
magnetic filter. Tests at