Developing a Chromatographic 99m Tc Generator Based on Mesoporous Alumina for Industrial Radiotracer Applications: A Potential New Generation Sorbent for Using Low-Specific-Activity 99 Mo.

The commercial low-pressure column chromatographic 99 Mo/ 99m Tc generator represents a reliable source of onsite, ready-to-use 99m Tc for industrial applications. These generators use fission-produced 99 Mo of high specific activity, posing serious production challenges and raising proliferation concerns. Therefore, many concepts are aimed at using low-specific-activity (LSA) 99 Mo. Nonetheless, the main roadblock is the low sorption capacity of the used alumina (Al 2 O 3 ). This study investigates the feasibility of using commercial alumina incorporated with LSA 99 Mo to develop a useful 99 Mo/ 99m Tc generator for industrial radiotracer applications. First, the adsorption profiles of some commercial alumina sorbents for LSA 99 Mo were tested under different experimental conditions. Then, the potential materials to develop a 99 Mo/ 99m Tc generator were selected and evaluated regarding elution yield of 99m Tc and purity. Among the sorbents investigated in this study, mesoporous alumina (SA-517747) presented a unique sorption-elution profile. It demonstrated a high equilibrium and dynamic sorption capacity of 148 ± 8 and 108 ± 6 mg Mo/g. Furthermore, 99m Tc was eluted with high yield and adequate chemical, radiochemical, and radionuclidic purity. Therefore, this approach provides an efficient and cost-effective way to supply onsite 99m Tc for radiotracer applications independent of fission-produced 99 Mo technology.