Electrochemical treatment of waste

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:210358

Dziewinski, J; Marczak, S; Purdy, G ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); and others

Electrochemical processes are being developed to treat hazardous and radioactive wastes. In these processes, heavy metals are removed from solution and recovered while cyanides and toxic organic compounds are oxidized to carbon dioxide. Destruction of the organic components is either done directly at the anode or through mediated electron transfer using electrochemically generated cobalt (III) or silver (II). Applying innovative electrochemical techniques bench-scale studies have shown that the concentration of selected toxic metals can be reduced to less than 100 ppb in the waste streams. Electrochemical treatment processes are effective alternatives to other chemical or thermal treatment processes. They require little or no reagent addition, operate at ambient or slightly elevated temperatures, allow for selective recovery of metal ions, and greatly decrease the volume of secondary waste.

• OSTI ID: 210358
• Report Number(s): CONF-9509139--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
40 CHEMISTRY
CADMIUM
CHROMIUM
COPPER
CYANIDES
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTROLYSIS
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MERCURY
ORGANIC WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
TOXIC MATERIALS