Concentration of radioactive components in liquid low-level radioactive waste by membrane distillation

Abstract

The paper addresses some aspects of liquid low-level radioactive waste (LLLW) purification. Since the volume of liquid low-level wastes is usually large and the activity is rather low, the radioactive substances separated from the non-active portion have to be concentrated into the small volume for subsequent conditioning and disposal. The need for the improvement of decontamination and minimisation of the costs have led to new specific methods being under examination and development. The method proposed in the paper is membrane distillation. The experimental work described below supports the statement that membrane distillation can be an attractive alternative for liquid radioactive waste treatment. The advantages of membrane distillation over the other processes commonly used for the processing of LLLW are discussed in the paper.