Gas phase interactions between tellurium and organic material in severe nuclear accident scenarios

One of the volatile fission products potentially released during a severe nuclear accident is tellurium. Recently, tellurium has been shown to form volatile organic tellurides from paint solvents in aqueous solutions which could further increase the release. However, not much is known about the possible interactions between tellurium and organic material in gas phase. In this study, tellurium was exposed to conditions simulating the containment atmosphere during an accident. Moreover, volatile organic compounds were introduced to the gas phase representing the presence of organic material in the containment during the accident. The results suggest that tellurium aerosols and organic material interact in the gas phase which was observed as an increase in the gaseous fraction and a change in the XPS spectra. Although no exact species were identified, the results raise questions about the behavior of tellurium in severe accident conditions, especially, regarding the reactions involving organic material.