Evaluation of a precipitation-ion exchange process for treatment of laundry waste
Bench-scale pilot plant studies were conducted to evaluate chemical coagulation and ion exchange for decontamination of 2724-W laundry wastewater. Chemical coagulation is accomplished at pH 11 to avoid complexant problems and assure good transuranic radionuclide removals. Clinoptilolite is used to remove cesium and strontium. Results of the pilot plant studies are summarized as follows: Decontamination factors of 70 (strontium) and more than 100 (cesium) were achieved by chemical coagulation and ion exchange. Decontamination factors exceeding 90 were measured for europium by coagulation with a combination of ferric chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride added to the wastewater at pH 11. Coagulation with these three agents in the wastewater at pH 11 was more effective for turbidity removal than coagulation with lime. Addition of up to 1.7 lb of clinoptilolite fines per 1000 gallons of wastewater during coagulation did not substantially increase strontium and cesium removal. Filtration without chemical coagulation reduced suspended solids by only 25%. About 70% of the suspended solids remaining in the filtered wastewater were removed in the zeolite column causing plugging which could not be easily dislodged by backwashing. Plugging of the ion exchange columns by previously clarified wastewater required short periods of limited backwashing to relieve the plug. The plugging is due to CaCO/sub 3/ and is not expected to be a severe problem in a full-scale plant with brief detention times between filtration and ion exchange. A high pressure surface wash should be included in the columns to break up crust or plugs at the surface of the zeolite. Centrifugation of iron sludges for 2 min at 2000 g reduced the sludge volume to about 1% of the total wastewater volume. Wet iron sludges from the sludge storage tank were readily dewatered by vacuum filtration. 14 tables, 9 figures.
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-06-1830; EY-76-C-06-2130
- OSTI ID:
- 5343001
- Report Number(s):
- BNWL-2274; TRN: 78-002147
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE WATER
DECONTAMINATION
CALCIUM CHLORIDES
CENTRIFUGATION
CESIUM
CLINOPTILOLITE
EFFICIENCY
EUROPIUM
FILTRATION
FLOCCULATION
ION EXCHANGE
IRON
IRON CHLORIDES
MAGNESIUM CHLORIDES
PILOT PLANTS
SLUDGES
STRONTIUM
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM HALIDES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CLEANING
ELEMENTS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
IRON COMPOUNDS
LIQUID WASTES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MINERALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
RARE EARTHS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
WATER
ZEOLITES
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing