| DeconGel | |
| Type: | Decontaminant |
| Currentowner: | CBI Polymers |
| Origin: | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
DeconGel is a gel created by CBI Polymers INC used to clean up after chemical and nuclear disasters. The product has been tested by numerous agencies and organizations in Japan including first responders, nuclear power plant operators, and private companies.
DeconGel was created by CBI Polymers INC in Honolulu, Hawaii in June 2011.[1] Since then it has been used commercially to clean up chemicals and nuclear waste. Most notably being in Japan after the Fukushima nuclear disaster after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami compromised reactors and cooling baths at TEPCO’s Daiichi Nuclear Power Station left high levels of radiation on the Asahimachi Baptist School Building.[2]
While CBI Polymers has kept the full formulation a secret, The formula is a mix of Surfactants, Chelates, Thixotropy, Wetting Agents, Defoamer, Biocides and Buffers.[3]
DeconGel is currently active in 3 different formulas
DeconGel can encapsulate most radioactive isotopes such as H-3, C-14, F-18, I-125, I-131, Tc-99, TI-201, Tritiated-Thymadine and Transuranics such as Am-241, Pu-238, Pu-239, Pu-240, Pu-241, Pu-242, Cs-137, Cs-134, Co-60, Mn-54, Fe-55, Ni-63, Ni-59, Sr-90 and Co-58 as well as most Toxic Industrial Chemical and Materials such as Meth lab wastes, Asbestos, PCB, Crude Oil, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Lead, Nickel, Selenium, Silver, Zinc, and Molybdenum.
DeconGel has special properties that “wet out” a surface allowing the gel to penetrate into contiguous pores. Often contamination is considered “fixed” when in fact the contaminants are actually “loose” but trapped within pores, unable to be removed via common decontamination techniques. DeconGel can get within these pores and remove these contaminants making it appear that DeconGel has actually penetrated the substrate.
DeconGel can be applied by brush, trowel (small hand-held or large stand-up trowel) or sprayer (sprayer and/or product may need to be modified to work). For small surface areas a paint brush, a small trowel or a hand-held sprayer can be used. For large complex surfaces, an industrial type sprayer may be more practical. For large horizontal surfaces, either a sprayer or a stand-up trowel may be used.
When spraying DeconGel, multiple coats may be needed before peeling the gel from the surface. The thicker the dried gel is, the easier it is to remove from the surface.