Development of ultrafiltration and inorganic adsorbents for reducing volumes of low-level and intermediate-level liquid waste: October--December 1977

Technical Report · Fri Feb 24 04:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5150672· OSTI ID:5150672

Koenst, J. W.; Herald, W. R.; Roberts, R. C.

The exposures of noncellulosic ultrafiltration membranes to a radioactive environment simulating up to 24 months of exposure to a ..beta.. dose of 10 ..mu..Ci/cm/sup 3/, a ..gamma.. dose of 10/sup -5/ ..mu..Ci/cm/sup 3/, and an ..cap alpha.. dose of 4.9 x 10/sup -3/ ..mu..Ci/cm/sup 3/ were completed. Exposure to ..beta.. and ..gamma.. radiation did not affect membrane performance. After a simulated six months of exposure to ..cap alpha.. radiation some degradation of membrane performance occurred. Several experiments were made on a laboratory-scale reverse-osmosis unit using the product from ultrafiltration as feed. Rejection of activity ranged from 88 to 99 percent. The ''continuous'' ultrafiltration pilot run was completed. Approximately 40,000 gal were processed in over 70 hr of operating time without shutdown for cleaning. Flux and rejection were maintained relatively steady over this period. Rejection of gross alpha ranged from 80 to 99.5 percent depending on the ionic content of the waste stream. Flux rates ranged from 5 to 8 liters/min over this period. The engineering column tests were continued using uranium-233 with product from the ultrafiltration pilot plant. Flow rates and pH were varied in order to determine optimum operating conditions.

• Research Organization: Mound Lab., Miamisburg, Ohio (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5150672
• Report Number(s): MLM-2503
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ADSORPTION
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LIQUID WASTES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MEMBRANES
OSMOSIS
PILOT PLANTS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SORPTION
ULTRAFILTRATION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES