The effects of physical separtation treatment on the removal of uranium from contaminated soils at Fernald: A bench-scale study
- IT Corporation, Knoxville, TN (United States)
- Fernald Environmental Restoration Management Corporation, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
A bench-scale treatability study incorporating the use of physical separation techniques and chemical dispersants/extractants was conducted on uranium contaminated soils at the Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) site. The soils contained approximately 497 and 450 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of total uranium, respectively. Geotechnical characterization indicated that 77.4 and 74.6 percent of the soil was in the less that 50 micrometer ({mu}m) size fraction for the ID-A and ID-B soils, respectively. An initial characterization effort indicated that uranium was distributed among all particle size fractions. After each soil was dispersed in water, it was noted that the uranium concentrated in the sand and clay fractions for the ID-A soil (1028 and 1475 mg kg{sup -1}, respectively) and the clay fraction for ID-B soil (2710 mg kg{sup -1}). Four 1 millimolar (mM) sodium reagent solutions (sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and a sodium citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite mixture) and potable water were evaluated for effectiveness in dispersing each soil into single grain separates and extracting total uranium from each of the resulting particle size fractions. Dilute sodium solutions were more effective than water in dispersing the soil. The use of dispersants, as compared to water, on the less than 2 mm size fraction causes a shift in the distribution of uranium out of the sand fraction and into the silt and clay fractions for ID-A soil and into the clay fraction for the ID-B soil. Attrition scrubbing tests were conducted on the less than 2 mm size fraction for the ID-A and ID-B soils using water and three alkaline extraction solutions, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium carbonate/bicarbonate, and ammonium carbonate/bicarbonate. There was little difference among the chemical extractants on their effectiveness in removing uranium from the greater than 53 {mu}m (sand) or less than 53 {mu}m (silt and clay) soil fraction.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States). Coll. of Engineering and Mines; New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States); Waste-Management Education and Research Consortium (WERC), Las Cruces, NM (United States); US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 111629
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940225-Vol.3; TRN: 95:021725
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste management `94: working towards a cleaner environment, Tucson, AZ (United States), 27 Feb - 3 Mar 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Technology and programs for Radioactive Waste Management and Environmental Restoration. Volume 3; Post, R.G. [ed.] [Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ (United States). Coll. of Engineering and Mines]; PB: 857 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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