TREATMENT OF A RADIOACTIVE CONDENSATE WASTE

Technical Report · Mon Apr 15 00:00:00 EST 1963

OSTI ID:4681095

Skarpelos, J M

The over-all process visualized for treating a waste such as Purex Tank Farm condensate is illustrated. The waste containing ammonia and organics along with a number of radioisotopes is fed to a steam stripper tower. The overhead vapors, representing about 5% of the waste, contain most of the ammonia and organics. Some radioiodine and radioruthenium are also present. After condensing and decanting to separate the two phases formed, it was found that the organic, which represents about 0.02% of the waste, contains most of the ruthenium and iodine present in the overhead stream. The remainder is an aqueous phase containing most of the ammonia but relatively little radioactivity, and thus it can be disposed to the environment without further treatment. The bulk of the waste leaves the stripping tower and is cooled before passing through a precoat type filter using finely divided (200 x 300 mesh) cesium selective adsorbent such as clinoptilolite as the filter aid. This step of the process removes particulate matter and radiocesium from the iiquid. The adsorbent cake is discharged for burial whenever its capacity for cesium is utilized, or whenever the pressure drop across the filter reaches a predetermined point. The filtered waste is then passed through a strong base anion bed which removes an appreciable amount of the ruthenium along with nitrate and nitrite ions. Periodically this bed is regenerated with caustic soda. The regenerant solution is discharged to underground storage. Since alkali in excess of the stoichiometric amount must be used, the regenerant solution could be used for neutralizing high-level acid waste, if desirable. The waste leaving the anion bed is acidified to a pH of 4 before entering the cation bed which removes strontium, cerium, zirconium and other radioisotopes in the cationic form. Having an extremely high capacity for these radioisotopes, the cation resin can economically be discharged for burial. The effluent leaving the cation bed is sufficiently low in radioactlvity that it can be safely discharged to the environment. If the residual acid needs to be neutralized, the effluent can be combined with the aqueous overhead stream containing ammonia. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(45-1)-1350
• NSA Number: NSA-17-024734
• OSTI ID: 4681095
• Report Number(s): HW-SA-2968
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-63
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

WASTE DISPOSAL AND PROCESSING
ACIDITY
ADSORPTION
AMMONIA
CERIUM
CESIUM 137
CLEANING
CLINOPTILOLITE
CONDENSERS
COOLING
ENVIRONMENT
FILTERS
IODINE 131
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
NITRATES
NITRITES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PUREX PROCESS
RADIOISOTOPES
RESINS
RUTHENIUM 106
SAFETY
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
STEAM
STRONTIUM
VAPORS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE SOLUTIONS
ZIRCONIUM