Sorption of Uranium, Plutonium and Neptunium onto Solids Present in High Caustic Nuclear Waste Storage Tanks
- Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States). Washington Savannah River Company
Solids such as granular activated carbon, hematite and sodium phosphates, if present as sludge components in nuclear waste storage tanks, have been found to be capable of precipitating/sorbing actinides like plutonium, neptunium and uranium from nuclear waste storage tank supernatant liqueur. Thus, the potential may exists for the accumulation of fissile materials in such nuclear waste storage tanks during lengthy nuclear waste storage and processing. To evaluate the nuclear criticality safety in a typical nuclear waste storage tank, a study was initiated to measure the affinity of granular activated carbon, hematite and anhydrous sodium phosphate to sorb plutonium, neptunium and uranium from alkaline salt solutions. Tests with simulated and actual nuclear waste solutions established the affinity of the solids for plutonium, neptunium and uranium upon contact of the solutions with each of the solids. The removal of plutonium and neptunium from the synthetic salt solution by nuclear waste storage tank solids may be due largely to the presence of the granular activated carbon and transition metal oxides in these storage tank solids or sludge. Granular activated carbon and hematite also showed measurable affinity for both plutonium and neptunium. Sodium phosphate, used here as a reference sorbent for uranium, as expected, exhibited high affinity for uranium and neptunium, but did not show any measurable affinity for plutonium.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States). Washington Savannah River Company
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-96SR18500
- OSTI ID:
- 933162
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-STI--2008-00272
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity; ISSN 0265-931X
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDES
ACTIVATED CARBON
AFFINITY
CRITICALITY
FISSILE MATERIALS
HEMATITE
NEPTUNIUM
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
OXIDES
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REMOVAL
SAFETY
SLUDGES
SODIUM PHOSPHATES
SORPTION
STORAGE
TANKS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
URANIUM