Cleanup of Savannah River Plant solvent using solid sorbents

Abstract

The degradation products produced in Purex solvent by exposure to nitric acid and radiation can be divided into two groups: those which are removed by scrubbing with sodium carbonate solutions and those which are not; these latter materials are called secondary degradation products. This study investigated the use of solid sorbents for removal of the secondary degradation products from first-cycle Savannah River Plant solvent that had been previously washed with sodium carbonate solution. Silica gel, activated charcoal, macroreticular resin, attapulgite clay and activated alumina were the sorbents investigated in preliminary testing. Activated alumina was found to be most effective for improving phase separation of the solvent from sodium carbonate solutions and for increasing the interfacial tension. The activated alumina was also the sorbent most useful for removing complexants which retain plutonium at low acidity, but it was less effective in removing anionic surfactants and ruthenium. We found that the capacity of the activated alumina was greatly improved by drying the solvent before treatment.