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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Vitrification of Ion Exchange Materials. Innovative Technology Summary Report

S&T Accomplishment Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/767801· OSTI ID:767801

The Department of Energy is responsible for removing and immobilizing radioactive waste from the underground tanks at the Savannah River Site, Oak Ridge Reservation, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, and Hanford Site. The waste contains highly radioactive cesium which must be removed from the low activity fraction of the waste and vitrified with the high level waste. Crystalline silicotitanate, a highly selective inorganic ion exchange material was developed to remove cesium from liquid tank wastes. Crystalline silicotitanate is non-regenerable. One alternative is to vitrify the cesium-loaded crystalline silicotitanate and dispose of it in high level waste glass. Glass formulations were developed and pilot scale vitrification runs have been conducted. Ten gallons of loaded crystalline silicotitanate from the Cesium Removal Demonstration at Oak Ridge Reservation were vitrified at the Savannah River Site in 1997.

Research Organization:
Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC (US); Oak Ridge National Lab., Oak Ridge, TN (US); Savannah River Technology Center, Aiken, SC (US); Hanford Site, Richland, WA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science and Technology (OST) (EM-50) (US)
OSTI ID:
767801
Report Number(s):
DOE/EM-0451; OST/TMS ID 81; OST/TMS ID 81
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English