Emission spectrometry in argonium plasma (ICP-AES) is one of the techniques used in sample analysis.
	The nanofiltration membranes developed at IEN have industrial and environmental preservation applications.

IEN competences in research, development and services in the chemistry and materials sector are distributed in the following activities: chemical technology processes, chemical analyses, environmental technology, new materials and ultrasound essays.

Chemical technology processes

An increasing number of materials used in state-of-the-art technology require a high degree of purity (over 99.9%), demanding complex separation methods to reach the final product.

IEN operates in original research and development in separation chemistry and in obtaining high purity and aggregated value strategic materials to meet the requirements of industries and companies. Examples of these activities are the development and transfer of the separation technology of high purity rare earths to Indústrias Nucleares Brasileiras; the preparation of high purity tantalum and niobium oxides from tantalite/columbite ores; the separation and purification of titanium from ilmenite and anatase ores and the preparation of nuclearly pure uranium and thorium, among others.

The separation and analysis techniques used for obtaining metallic oxides include thermodynamic modeling of chemical systems, multiple stage liquid-liquid extraction and chemical analysis instrumentation. Other working lines include boron-10 isotopic separation in ionic exchange columns and processes involving spray dryer and fluidized bed.

Chemical Analyses

In the chemical analysis field, specific analytical methodologies are developed and chemical analysis services are performed with the use of several techniques: X-ray fluorescence, ICP/AES, UV-visible and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, HPLC and others (see Products and Services section).

The participation in national and international chemical analysis intercomparison programs assesses the quality of these services. The laboratories are being reorganized to comply with ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.

Environmental Technology

IEN’s action in the field of chemical processes favors technologies that aim at environmental preservation. The highlights are:

• Original research utilizing commercial polyurethane foam for separation and recovery of metals in industrial waste;
• Liquid-liquid extraction process using an ejection system for the treatment of industrial and mining effluents;
• Multiple-stage continuous electrolytic process for ammonium removal of petroleum wells produced water.

New materials

In this field, the two main research lines are:

• Methods to obtain nanocrystalline inorganic oxides with a controlled texture, in order to increase their reactivity; these materials have a high potential of application in catalysis;
• Development of polymeric membranes for nanofiltration processes to remove sulfates from seawater, in a project financed with resources of the CT-Petro sector fund. These membranes are obtained through phase inversion and interfacial polymerization techniques. Seawater is used as injection water in offshore petroleum wells, and the membranes are utilized to prevent the formation of barium and strontium sulfate incrustations, which clog the pipes. Conventional techniques are used to characterize these materials, and in a subsequent step ultrasonic technology will fit this purpose.

Ultrasound

IEN develops and supplies innovative technology for non-destructive material essays, using ultrasound technique to verify tension variations in pipes and tubes. This technique has several applications and was originally developed for the analysis of nuclear reactor components. In partnership with Petrobras Transporte S.A. (Transpetro), IEN currently carries out applied research work on structural integrity analysis of oil and gas line pipes.

The use of non-invasive ultrasound techniques to assess monophasic and biphasic discharges (water-gas) is also being studied.