As part of planning for waste minimization, decontamination foam has been considered as a potential application for the cleaning of radioactive contaminant. In this study, we synthesized silica particles to improve foam stability by varying synthesis parameters. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was found to influence the stability of the decontamination foam. The reason was that higher interaction between SiO2 nanoparticles and surfactant at the air-water interface in aqueous solution is beneficial for foam stability. CTAB can also be used as an additive for the aggregation of silica nanoparticles. In the separation of SiO2 nanoparticles, CTAB plays a critical role in the nanoparticles flocculation because of the charge neutralization and hydrophobic effects of its hydrocarbon tails.

The feasibility of foam separation to remove protein in aquacultural recirculating water was investigated. From the results of batch foam separation on protein removal, superficial air velocity and initial protein concentration in bulk solution were found to be important operational factors in determining removal rates of protein. The protein removal rate by batch foam separation was proportionally increased with the superficial air velocity. Performance characteristics of continous foam separator were highly dependent upon the operating parameters of superficial air velocity, hydraulic retention time(HR) and foam height. Removal efficiency of protein increases with increasing superficial air velocity and HRT, and independent on foam height. As DO concentration was increased with superficial air velocity, foam separator is also used for oxygen addition. It could be confirmed that foam separator might offer better perspective for protein removal in aquacultural recirculating water