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Title: Pretreatments and selective materials for improved processing of PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) liquid radioactive wastes: Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6975273

This project was an exploratory study of liquid radwaste treatment techniques. Bench-scale tests were conducted on various sorption materials and pretreatment agents. Pretreatments included ultrafiltration, oxidation, reduction, complexation, coagulation, flocculation, and pH adjustment. Sorption materials included ion exchange resins, zeolites, carbons, polymeric adsorbents, and newly developed unique ion-exchangers. Project results indicate that: (1) For cesium removal, zeolites were found to be effective and low in process cost. (2) For iodine, any good quality strong base anion exchange resin was effective and low in process cost. Cobalt removal was found to be more complex: Cobalt and other transition metal radionuclides exist as both ions (positively and negatively charged) and colloidal particles. For cobalt removal, strong acid cation exchange resins produced the most reliable results at the lowest estimated cost. Other useful cobalt and transition metal results were achieved by: ultrafiltration pretreatment followed by ion exchange; coagulating polyelectrolyte followed by mixed bed ion exchange; and coarse-crushed ion exchange resins. Processing techniques developed in the project have been scaled up and used at two operating PWRs since April 1984. 51 figs., 106 tabs.

Research Organization:
Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (USA); Duke Power Co., Charlotte, NC (USA)
OSTI ID:
6975273
Report Number(s):
EPRI-NP-5786; ON: TI88014205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English