Electrochemical Recovery of Sodium Hydroxide from Alkaline Salt Solution
- Westinghouse Savannah River Company, AIKEN, SC (United States)
A statistically designed set of tests determined the effects of current density, temperature, and the concentrations of nitrate/nitrite, hydroxide and aluminate on the recovery of sodium as sodium hydroxide (caustic) from solutions simulating those produced from the Savannah River Site (SRS) In-Tank Precipitation process. These tests included low nitrate and nitrite concentrations which would be produced by electrolytic nitrate/nitrite destruction. The tests used a two compartment electrochemical cell with a Nafion Type 324 ion-exchange membrane. Caustic was successfully recovered from the waste solutions. Evaluation of the testing results indicated that the transport of sodium across the membrane was not significantly affected by any of the varied parameters. The observed variance in the sodium flux is attributed to experimental errors and variations in the performance characteristics of individual pieces of the organic-based Nafion membrane.Additional testing is recommended to determine the maximum current density, to evaluate the chemical durability of the organic membrane as a function of current density and to compare the durability and performance characteristics of the organic-based Nafion membrane with that of other commercially available organic membranes and the inorganic class of membranes under development by Ceramatec and PNNL.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 626454
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-TR-96-0317; ON: DE98052490
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Oct 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Caustic Recycling Pilot Unit to Separate Sodium from LLW at Hanford Site - 12279
Nitrate and Nitrite Incompatibility with Hydroxide Ions in Concentrated NaOH Solutions: Implications for Hydroxide and Gibbsite Reactivity in Alkaline Nuclear Waste