Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of removing a radioactive material from a gas, comprising:directing the gas through a bed of salt, the gas including water vapor and the radioactive material, the salt constituting more than 50 percent by weight of the bed, the salt including sodium pentaborate;condensing the water vapor in the bed and dissolving a portion of the salt to form a salt solution; andabsorbing the radioactive material into the salt solution while a remainder of the gas passes through the bed. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing includes a venting of the gas from a reactor containment during an accident at a nuclear plant. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the radioactive material and the salt include an element in common. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the salt further includes at least one of a cesium salt and an iodine salt. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the salt includes at least 50 percent by weight of the sodium pentaborate. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the radioactive material is at least one of cesium and iodine. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dissolving involves an endothermic reaction, a heat of solution of the endothermic reaction being provided by the gas such that a temperature of the gas is lowered by the endothermic reaction. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the absorbing includes capturing the radioactive material via polar bonding. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the decontamination factor is at least 100.