Patent ID: 8679229

Claim:
A method for recovering xenon from xenon-containing equipment, the method comprising steps of: placing xenon-containing equipment in a xenon enclosure chamber, wherein the chamber communicates with a xenon recovery container containing a xenon adsorbent via an opening-closing part; reducing pressure in the xenon enclosure chamber, while the opening-closing part is closed; communicating an interior of the xenon-containing equipment where xenon is present with the xenon enclosure chamber and releasing xenon enclosed in the xenon-containing equipment into the xenon enclosure chamber, after the reducing pressure step; opening the opening-closing part so that the xenon enclosure chamber and the xenon recovery container communicate with each other, and so that the xenon adsorbent adsorbs the xenon released in the xenon enclosure chamber; closing the opening-closing part; and then desorbing the xenon from the adsorbent; wherein the adsorbent comprises a zeolite having a pore diameter from 4.5 angstroms to 7.3 angstroms as a principal component, and the adsorbent adsorbs the xenon under ordinary temperatures and pressures or under ordinary temperatures and low xenon partial pressure.