Comparative scrub solution tests for decontamination of transuranic radionuclides from soils
Soil decontamination tests were done using three scrubbing solutions on five different transuranic-contaminated soils from Department of Energy sites. The soils came from Rocky Flats, Colorado; Hanford, Washington; Mound Facility, Ohio; Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho; and Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. Decontamination was effected by physical and chemical means. A pH 12.5 scrub effected decontamination by serving as a hydraulic grading and attrition scrub medium; this solution did not solubilize the actinide contamination. A 2% HNO/sub 3/, 0.2% HF, 2% pine oil, and 5% Calgon solution effected decontamination by physical and chemical means; this solution solubilized particulate actinide and actinide dispersed on the surface of soil particles. A 2N HCl scrub was also used to effect decontamination by physical and chemical means; this reagent solubilized soil constituents, removing contamination that had migrated into mineral surfaces. Only Rocky Flats soil was effectively decontaminated by the high pH solution although all soils had an enrichment of the activity in the -150 mesh fraction. Attrition scrubbing with both acid solutions had a better decontamination ability for the +150 mesh fraction for Hanford, INEL, and LANL soils. In addition, the acid solutions solubilized some of the plutonium and had a decontamination effect on the fine fractions.
- Research Organization:
- Rockwell International Corp., Golden, CO (USA). Rocky Flats Plant
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP03533
- OSTI ID:
- 5169821
- Report Number(s):
- RFP-3161; ON: DE82020269
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Soil decontamination at Rocky Flats
Soil decontamination study, DOE facilities
Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
510301 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Soil-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
CLEANING
DATA
DECONTAMINATION
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HANFORD RESERVATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LASL
MOUND LABORATORY
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PH VALUE
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
REMOVAL
ROCKY FLATS PLANT
SOILS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES