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Title: Electrically switched ion exchange

Conference ·
OSTI ID:527191
 [1]; ;
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

A variety of waste types containing radioactive {sup 137}Cs are found throughout the DOE complex. These waste types include water in reactor cooling basins, radioactive high-level waste (HLW) in underground storage tanks, and groundwater. Safety and regulatory requirements and economics require the removal of radiocesium before these wastes can be permanently disposed of. Electrically Switched Ion Exchange (ESIX) is an approach for radioactive cesium separation that combines IX and electrochemistry to provide a selective, reversible, and economic separation method that also produces little or no secondary waste. In the ESIX process, an electroactive IX film is deposited electrochemically onto a high-surface area electrode, and ion uptake and elution are controlled directly by modulating the potential of the film. For cesium, the electroactive films under investigation are ferrocyanides, which are well known to have high selectivities for cesium in concentrated sodium solutions. When a cathode potential is applied to the film, Fe{sup +3} is reduced to the Fe{sup +2} state, and a cation must be intercalated into the film to maintain charge neutrality (i.e., Cs{sup +} is loaded). Conversely, if an anodic potential is applied, a cation must be released from the film (i.e., Cs{sup +} is unloaded). Therefore, to load the film with cesium, the film is simply reduced; to unload cesium, the film is oxidized.

Research Organization:
Science, Inc., Anaheim, CA (United States)
OSTI ID:
527191
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-28461-Rev.1; CONF-970148-Rev.1; ON: DE97052111; TRN: 97:015034
Resource Relation:
Conference: Efficient Separations and Processing (ESP) Crosscutting Program FY 1997 technical exchange meeting, Gaithersburg, MD (United States), 28-30 Jan 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the efficient separations and processing crosscutting program 1997 technical exchange meeting; Gephart, J.M. [ed.]; PB: 211 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English