THE REMOVAL OF STRONTIUM AND CESIUM FROM NUCLEAR WASTE SOLUTIONS BY FOAM SEPARATION. Final Report

Technical Report · Fri Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4043689

Schonfeld, E; Sanford, R; Mazzella, G; Ghosh, D; Mook, S

The removal of cesium, strontium, and rare earth cations from dilute aqueous solutions by adsorption on foam surfaces was studied. The primary objective in the study was to determine the technical feasibility of a foam separation process for the removal of specific nuclides from nuclear process streams. Foam separation takes advantage of the concentration difference existing between the surface layers and the bulk regions of solutions containing surface active solutes. Enrichment of non-surface active materials, such as cations and arions, at the air-water interface may be achieved by complexing these materials into a surface active form. Equilibrium surface adsorption coefficients, GAMMA /C, were determined for cesium, strontium, and samarium in 10/sup -5/M solutions combined with various surface active agents. Among those studied, the foaminB agents that showed best selectivity for strontium and samarium were the amino polycarboxylic acids. Promising cesium enrichments were obtained using a combination of an amino polycarboxylic acid and sodium tetraphenyl boron. The equilibrium surface adsorption was found to depend upon the type of foaming agent, the foaming agent concentration, the metal non concentration, pH, the inert salt (NaNO/sub 3/) concentration, and the temperature. Continuous separation of strontium and samarium from 10/sup -5/M aqueous solutions containing lM sodium nitrate was studied in experimental countercurrent foam columns. Decontamination values of 400 to 7OO were demonstrated for strontium and samarium in a single pass through a three foot foam column, with corresponding volume reductions of 100 to 400 without evaporation. Decontamination values for strontium in the order of 10/sup 4/ to lO/sup 7/ were observed in a four column series set up. A study of the effect of the continuous column operating variables, such as liquid and gas flow rates, foam bubble size, column dimensions and temperature, on the separation efficiency was conducted. It was concluded that the degree of metal ion separation is primarily dependent on three factors: the equilibrium distribution coefficient, the ratio of the surface area generated to the liquid feed rate, and the height of the foam column. The experimental results indicate that the performance of a continuous countercurrent foam column can be quantitatively described by a Kremser or Colburn type of relationship, commonly employed in the design of conventional mass transfer unit operations. Relationships of this type were derived from a mathematical analysis of a foam column model. (auth)

• Research Organization: Radiation Applications Inc., New York
• DOE Contract Number: AT(30-1)-2093
• NSA Number: NSA-15-015319
• OSTI ID: 4043689
• Report Number(s): NYO-9577
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-61
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

WASTE DISPOSAL AND PROCESSING
ADSORPTION
AIR
AMINO ACIDS
ANIONS
BORON
CATIONS
CESIUM
COMPLEXES
COUNTER CURRENT
DECONTAMINATION
EFFICIENCY
ENRICHMENT
EQUILIBRIUM
FOAMS
GAS FLOW
LIQUID FLOW
MATHEMATICS
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RARE EARTHS
SAMARIUM
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM
SODIUM NITRATES
STRONTIUM
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE
WASTE SOLUTIONS
WATER