Electrochemical treatment of mixed (hazardous and radioactive) wastes
Electrochemical treatment technologies for mixed hazardous waste are currently under development at Los Alamos National Laboratory. For a mixed waste containing toxic components such as heavy metals and cyanides in addition to a radioactive component, the toxic components can be removed or destroyed by electrochemical technologies allowing for recovery of the radioactive component prior to disposal of the solution. Mixed wastes with an organic component can be treated by oxidizing the organic compound to carbon dioxide and then recovering the radioactive component. The oxidation can be done directly at the anode or indirectly using an electron transfer mediator. This work describes the destruction of isopropanol, acetone and acetic acid at greater than 90% current efficiency using cobalt +3 or silver +2 as the electron transfer mediator. Also described is the destruction of cellulose based cheesecloth rags with electrochemically generated cobalt +3, at an overall efficiency of approximately 20%.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 78600
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-95-256; CONF-950917-2; ON: DE95006268; TRN: 95:016173
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 5. international conference on radioactive waste management and environmental remediation, Berlin (Germany), 3-9 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Mediated electrochemical hazardous waste destruction
Mediated electrochemical hazardous waste destruction. Revision 1