Soluble and Particulate Mercury Deployment of Analytical Method for the Savannah River Site Liquid Waste System

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1568778· OSTI ID:1568778

White, T. L. ^[1]; Looney, B. B. ^[1]; Brown, L. W. ^[1]; Missimer, D. M. ^[1]

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1. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) developed, tested, and deployed in a radiological containment unit (CU) an analytical method for quantifying particulate total mercury and soluble total mercury in radioactive samples such as the those generated by the dilution of Savannah River Site (SRS) High-Level Waste. This method relies on direct mercury analysis and other associated capabilities for matrix independent quantification of total mercury in solids or liquids (i.e., any sample that can be introduced into the instrument oven for pyrolysis to release all mercury for measurement). The matrix independence allows for discreet measurements of the starting sample, the collected particulates and the filtrate liquid, thus enabling a mass balance quality check. For example, an analysis of a diluted sample from the SRS liquid waste system (LWS) resulted in a measured total mercury value of 55.0 mg Hg/L and a nearly matching calculated total mercury value of 55.1 mg Hg/L (± 20% 2σ) from the summation of measured soluble mercury (47.8 mg Hg/L ± 20% 2σ) and measured particulate mercury (7.26 mg Hg/L ± 20% 2σ). The advantages of the particulate-soluble mercury analysis method are: waste minimization using small radioactive liquid volumes, minimal radiological sample processing and reduced handling steps protective of workers (ALARA) and improved data quality, syringe filter technology which eliminates vacuum filtration and the potential loss of volatile species, small diameter filters (13 mm nominal to 25 mm if needed to avoid clogging) and small disposable poly filter holders (no need to clean) which minimize waste, flexibility provided for a range of starting concentrations, particulate-soluble ratios, and sample matrix conditions, soluble and particulate are measured results that, when summed, and are in good agreement with the total mercury measurement.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Savannah River National Lab (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-08SR22470
• OSTI ID: 1568778
• Report Number(s): SRNL-STI--2019-00345
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
LWS
MCU
Total Hg