SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF CESIUM BY 4-SEC-BUTYL-2-($alpha$-METHYLBENZYL) PHENOL (BAMBP): PILOT PLANT STUDIES
Technical Report
·
OSTI ID:4026741
The extraction and recovery of cesium from a simulated Purex alkaline waste supernate was successfully demonstrated in the pilot plant pulse column using both a nozzle plate cartridge and Raschig ring packing. Stable volumetric capacities as high as 500 gph/ft/sup 2/, sum of flows, were obtained with the nozzle plate cartridge together with HTU's (overall raffinate-film basis) of 2 feet or less (waste losses less than 2 percent using a 9 foot extraction section). Still higher capacities were demonstrated in the pulsed, packed column but with some loss in efficiency. The cesium product was decontaminated by factors of 300 to 1400 from sodium by the use of weak, inorganic acid scrubs (such as boric or phosphoric acid) and stripped from the solvent with dilute HNO/sub 3/. The HTU's in the stripping operation were generally greater than 2 feet (optimum waste losses of 2 to 3 percent typical). The sodium decontamination factors (DF's) and cesium stripping HTU's were considerably poorer than expected. The poor performance was eventually traced to degradation of the solvent through reaction with nitrite ion entrained with the feed into acidic portions of the purification cycle. The degradation did not appear to affect cesium extraction, but it greatly interfered with sodium and cesium stripping. Addition of sulfamate ion to the stripping solutions prevented the degradation reaction. A second series of runs was made (with fresh BAMBP) to test the ability of a BAMBP extraction process to purify a conceptual cesium crude. This crude, containing 0.05M Cs, 0.01M K, and 2M Na, was decontaminated an average of 8000-fold from sodium and 800-fold from potassium. The final product was concentrated by a factor of five. Typical HTU's for both extraction and stripping ranged from 1 to 2 feet (optimum waste losses less than 1 percent) at volume velocities as high as 900 gph/ft/sup 2/ in the 1A column and 550 gph/ft/sup 2/ in the 1C column. Water was satisfactorily used to scrub sodium from the solvent prior to cesium stripping; scrub DF's averaged five for sodium and greater than 10 for potassium. Dilute suifamic acid was used to strip the cesium; however, nitric acid (containing a trace of sulfamic acid or hydrazine as insurance against the nitrite reaction) could be used. BAMBP was proved to be a highly satisfactory, selective solvent for cesium recovery and purification, but its sensitivity to nitrite degradation may limit its usefulness in high radiation fields where nitrite ion is continuously formed by nitrate radiolysis. Evaluation of this aspect is currently in progress. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AT(45-1)-1350
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-019446
- OSTI ID:
- 4026741
- Report Number(s):
- HW-80686
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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