Brix, Kristina

Dr. Kristina Brix
PostDoc, Working Group WASTe
Phone: +49 (0)681 302 4771 (lab)
Phone: +49 (0)681 302 4770 (office)
E-Mail
ORCID-ID: 0000-0002-5196-9028

► Research

BMWI joint project GRaZ: "Retention of elements relevant for high level waste disposal on calcium-bentonite"
Nowadays, one of the major tasks for humanity is the development of a high level nuclear waste (HLW) disposal in deep geological formations. In order to ensure the compliance with safety standards for more than a hundred thousand years, it is essential to know the important interaction processes between the radioactive waste and the surrounding formations. In Germany, granite, salt and clay are considered as possible host rocks. Besides this natural barrier, preventing radioactive elements to contaminate the surrounding area, some technical barriers were also used. One of these barriers is calcium bentonite as a mixture of several clays, used as potential buffer material and borehole seal. The retention of elements relevant for high level waste disposal on calcium bentonite gets investigated via mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) for long term safety assessment considering different geochemical parameters like pH value and ionic strength.

► Publications

12Ahmed, A.S., Müller, D.W., Bruyère, S., Holtsch, A., Müller, F., Barrirero, J., Brix, K., Migot, S., Kautenburger, R., Jacobs, K., Pierson, J., Mücklich, F., Surface Modification of Brass via Ultrashort Pulsed Direct Laser Interference Patterning and Its Effect on Bacteria-Substrate Interaction, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15, 36908-36921. 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c04801
11Engel, S., Gießelmann, E.C., Schank, L.E., Heymann, G., Brix, K., Kautenburger, R., Beck, H.P., Janka, O., Theoretical and 27Al NMR Spectroscopic Investigations of Binary Intermetallic Alkaline-Earth Aluminides, Inorg. Chem. 2023, 62, 4260-4271.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c04391
10Waidha, A.I., Salihovic, A., Jacob, M., Vanita, V., Aktekin, B., Brix, K., Wissel, K., Kautenburger, R., Janek, J., Ensinger, W., Clemens, O.,Recycling of All-Solid-State Li-ion Batteries: A Case Study of the Separation of Individual Components Within a System Composed of LTO, LLZTO and NMC, ChemSusChem 2023, 16, e202202361.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202202361
9Kautenburger, R., Brix, K., Baur, S., Sander, J.M., Development of mini column experiments (MCE) by coupling microliter flow HPLC with ICP-MS for the analysis of metal retention under conditions close to nature, Talanta Open 2022, 5, 100111.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2022.100111
8Baur, S., Brix, K., Feuerstein, A., Janka, O., Kautenburger, R., Retention of waste cocktail elements onto characterised calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) phases: A kinetic study under highly saline and hyperalkaline conditions, Appl. Geochem. 2022,143, 105319.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105319
7Siems, K., Müller, D.W., Maertens, L., Ahmed, A., Van Houdt, R., Mancinelli, R.L., Baur, S., Brix, K., Kautenburger, R., Caplin, N., Krause, J., Demets, R., Vukich, M., Tortora, A., Roesch, C., Holland, G., Laue, M., Mücklich, F., Moeller, R., Testing Laser-Structured Antimicrobial Surfaces Under Space Conditions: The Design of the ISS Experiment BIOFILMS, Front Space. Technol. 2022, 2, 773244.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2021.773244
6Brix, K., Baur, S., Haben, A., Kautenburger, R., Building the bridge between U(VI) and Ca-bentonite – Influence of concentration, ionic strength, pH, clay composition and competing ions, Chemosphere 2021, 285, 131445.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131445
5Müller, D.W., Lößlein, S., Terriac, E., Brix, K., Siems, K., Moeller, R., Kautenburger, R., Mücklich, F., Increasing Antibacterial Efficiency of Cu Surfaces by targeted Surface Functionalization via Ultrashort Pulsed Direct Laser Interference Patterning, Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2021, 8, 2001656.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/admi.202001656
4Fischer, T., Tschering, T., Drews, F., Brix, K., Meier, C., Simon, M., Kautenburger, R., Schneider, M., siRNA delivery to macrophages using aspherical, nanostructured microparticles as delivery system for pulmonary administration, Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm 2021, 158, 284-293.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2020.11.024
3Kautenburger, R., Brix, K., Hein, C., Insights into the retention behaviour of europium(III) and uranium(VI) onto Opalinus Clay influenced by pore water composition, temperature, pH and organic compounds, Appl. Geochem. 2019, 109, 104404.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2019.104404
2Brix, K., Hein, C., Haben, A., Kautenburger, R., Adsorption of caesium on raw Ca-bentonite in high saline solutions: Influence of concentration, mineral composition, other radionuclides and modelling, Appl. Clay Sci. 2019, 182, 105275.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2019.105275
1K. Brix, C. Hein, J.M. Sander, R. Kautenburger, Simultaneous quantification of iodine and high valent metals via ICP-MS under acidic conditions in complex matrices, Talanta, 2017, 167, 532-536.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2017.02.056

► Conference contributions

Elemental content is more than just a number: investigating the retention and mechanisms of U(VI) via ICP-MS. EWCPS Conference 2023, Ljubljana, Slowenien.
Mit Miniatursäulenexperimenten zum Endlager - LC-ICP-MS-Kopplung im Hochsalineren und simultane Quantifizierung von Eu, Uranyl, Cs und Iodid im sauren Milieu, Agilent ICP-MS Anwendertreffen 2019, Waldbronn, Deutschland.
On the Trace (Level) of a high-level nuclear waste Disposal - Retention of Cs(I), Eu(III) and Uranyl on Ca-Bentonite, DGMS Tagung 2020, Münster, Deutschland. Spec 2016

► Posters

Mixed from a Waste Cocktail: considerations on background electrolyte’s composition and salinity, PBTC and iron influencing the retention of repository-relevant elements on potential barrier materials, Migration Tagung 2023, Nantes, Frankreich.
Simultaneous Quantification of Iodine and other Elements relevant for high-level nuclear Waste under acidic Conditions via ICP-MS for Determination of Sorption Isotherms on Ca-Bentonite, European Winter Concerence on Plasma Spectrochemistry 2019, Peau, Frankreich.
Simultaneous Quantification of Iodine and high valent Metals via ICP-MS under acidic Conditions in complex Matrices, Migration 2017, Barcelona, Spanien.
Modifying the Speciation of Iodine in saline Matrices for Quantification by ICP-MS, TraceSpec 2016, Danzig, Polen.