Processing results of 1,800 gallons of mercury and radioactively contaminated mixed waste rinse solution

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10150950· OSTI ID:10150950

Thiesen, B P

The mercury-contaminated rinse solution (INEL waste ID{number_sign} 123; File 8 waste) was successfully treated at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). This waste was generated during the decontamination of the Heat Transfer Reactor Experiment 3 (HTRE-3) reactor shield tank. Approximately 1,800 gal of waste was generated and was placed into 33 drums. Each drum contained precipitated sludge material ranging from 1--10 in. in depth, with the average depth of about 2.5 in. The pH of each drum varied from 3--11. The bulk liquid waste had a mercury level of 7.0 mg/l, which exceeded the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) limit of 0.2 mg/l. The average liquid bulk radioactivity was about 2.1 pCi/ml, while the average sludge contamination was about 13,800 pci/g. Treatment of the waste required separation of the liquid from the sludge, filtration, pH adjustment, and ion exchange. Because of difficulties in processing, three trials were required to reduce the mercury levels to below the RCRA limit. In the first trial, insufficient filtration of the waste allowed solid particulate produced during pH adjustment to enter into the ion exchange columns and ultimately the waste storage tank. In the second trial, the waste was filtered down to 0.1 {mu} to remove all solid mercury compounds. However, before filtration could take place, a solid mercury complex dissolved and mercury levels exceeded the RCRA limit after filtration. In the third trial, the waste was filtered through 0.3-A filters and then passed through the S-920 resin to remove the dissolved mercury. The resulting solution had mercury levels at 0.0186 mg/l and radioactivity of 0.282 pCi/ml. This solution was disposed of at the TAN warm waste pond, TAN782, TSF-10.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 10150950
• Report Number(s): EGG-WM-10630; ON: DE93012166; TRN: 93:013421
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Jan 1993
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS
DESIGN
MERCURY
CONTAMINATION
WASTE FORMS
CONTAINERS
PH VALUE
LIQUID WASTES
FILTRATION
ION EXCHANGE
TANKS
HEAT TRANSFER
SODIUM SULFIDES
ALUMINIUM SULFATES
BREEDER REACTORS
POLYETHYLENES
SAMPLING
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
BUILDUP
SLUDGES
WATER TREATMENT
COMPILED DATA
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
052001
052002
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE