A University of Redlands chemistry professor's research into photoactive membranes has received a $25,000 grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF) for her research project involving radioactive waste cleanup.

Teresa Longin of Redlands believes it is possible to use a dye molecule and light to separate radioactive ions from waste. Shining light of one particular color on the dye makes it bind strongly to radioactive ions to form a complex, removing the ions from liquid waste. The complex can then pass through a membrane into a receiving tank. Shining light of a different color on the complex changes the shape of the dye so that it no longer binds to the radioactive ion. The dye can be removed from the receiving tank and reused, leaving the radioactive ions behind.

By using this process, she would be able to purify the ions and concentrate them into glass form, which is much more stable and less likely to create problems such as seeping into groundwater.

The grant will be awarded over a two-year period and will be spent on equipment, travel expenses and to pay undergraduate students like Phuong Nguyen of West Covina, who performed a majority of the theoretical studies that helped solidify the concept and made the grant possible. Nguyen graduated in May 1999.

The ACS-PRF is an organization dedicated to funding basic research in chemistry.

***Photo of Teresa Longin available upon request.***

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