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Vitrification of Ion-Exchange (IEX) Resins: Advantages and Technical Challenges

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Vitrification of Ion-Exchange (IEX) Resins: Advantages and Technical Challenges WSRC-MS-95-0518 Vitrification of Ion-Exchange (IEX) Resins: Advantages and Technical Challenges bv C. M. Jantzen Westinghouse Savannah River Company Savannah River, Site Aiken, South Carolina 29808 D. K. Paster G. A. Cicero A document prepared for AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING, NUCLEAR DIVISION at Indianapolis frorrt 04/14/95 - 04/17/95. DOE Contract No. DE-AC09-89SR18035 This paper was prepared in connection with work done under the above contract number with the U. S. Department of Energy. By acceptance of this paper, the publisher and/or recipient acknowledges the U. S. Government's right to retain a nonexclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright covering this paper, along with the right to reproduce and to authorize others to reproduce all or part of the copyrighted paper. DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed,.or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. This report has been reproduced directly from the best available copy. Available to DOE and DOE contractors from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; prices available from (615) 576-8401. Available to the public from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. USfiC-fns-IS-*31* VITRIFICATION OF ION-EXCHANGE (IEX) RESINS: ADVANTAGES AND TECHNICAL CHALLENGESt Carol M. Jantzen David K. Peeler Connie A. Cicero Westinghouse Savannah Westinghouse Savannah Westinghouse Savannah Technology Center (SRTC) River Technology Center River Technology Center Aiken, SC 29808 Aiken, SC 29808 Aiken, SC 29808 (803)725-2374 (803)725-8435 (803)725-5306 ABSTRACT I. INTRODUCTION Technologies are being developed by the US Spent ion exchange (EX) resin wastes are Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah generated from a variety of waste treatment River Site (SRS) in conjunction with the processes in the DOE complex and in Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)t and commercial nuclear facilities. The spent IEX the commercial sector to convert low-level resins are generated during the radioactive ion exchange (IEX) resin wastes decontamination of liquid or aqueous process from the nuclear utilities to solid stabilized streams. The contaminants which are waste forms for permanent disposal. One of removed from the aqueous streams and sorbed the alternative waste stabilization technologies on the IEX resins can be radioactive, is vitrification of the resin into glass. Wastes hazardous, or both. Thus, spent resins exist can be vitrified at elevated temperatures by as High Level Waste (HLW),* Low Level thermal treatment One alternative thermal Waste (LLW),** and Mixed Low Level Waste treatment is conventional Joule heated+t (MLLWJ.ttt melting. Vitrification of wastes into glass is an attractive option because it atomistically bonds both hazardous and radioactive species highly radioactive material resulting from the in the glass structure, and volume reduces the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, including liquid waste by 70 - 80%. The large volume waste produced directly in reprocessing and any reductions allow for large associated savings solid material derived from such liquid waste that in disposal and/or long term storage costs. contains fission products in sufficient concentration (Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1992) waste that is not high-level radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, transuranic waste, or by-product material as defined in section 1 le(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1992) ttt waste that contains source, special nuclear, or byproduct material subject to regulation under the Atomic Energy Act and hazardous waste species Westinghouse Savannah River Cooperative subject to regulation under the Recource Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Conservation and Recovery Act waste as defined in No. CR-94-002 40 CFR 261 (U.S. Code Title 42, Section 2011); tt Joule heated melters vitrify waste in a refractory- if the hazardous species are on the U.S. lined vessel containing diametrically opposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list of electrodes. The electrodes are used to heat the hazardous wastes as oudined in 40 CFR261.31, glass by passing an electric current through the .32, .33 then the waste is considered a "listed" material. This process is called Joule heating. MLLW DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS UNLIMITED'yo 0 USfit-ms^f-fclX EX resins are used in defense and commercial - the Environmental Protection Agency power reactors to remove hazardous anions (EPA) has declared vitrification the and cations, particularly low levels of fission Best Demonstrated Available products such as Cs137, Sr9», Co60, C14 and Technology (BDAT) for high-level Tc". In addition, some tritium contamination radioactive waste3 or suspect tritium contamination is usually present. The EX resin wastes from " the EPA has produced a Handbook of commercial power reactors typically use Vitrification Technologies for organic resins with sulfonated or chlorinated Treatment of Hazardous and groups. The resin wastes, ashes or residues Radioactive Waste4 resulting from thermal treatment of such resins are, therefore, usually high in sulfur or - the DOE Office of Technology chlorine. Development (OTD) has taken the position that MLLW should be The resin wastes from Boiling Water Reactors stabilized to the highest level (BWR) are enriched in constituents such as reasonably possible to ensure that the Fe3C>4 while wastes from Pressurized Water resulting waste form will meet both Reactors (PWR) are enriched in borate used as 7 current and future regulatory a homogeneous moderator and in Li used for specifications pH control. In addition, these wastes are 137 60 usually contaminated with Cs and Co . • vitrification allows glass to have a high Both dry and wet wastes from BWR/PWR potential to meet the EPA characteristically reactors can be combined, e.g. EX resins, hazardous and/or listed Land Disposal waste sludges, filter aids, slurries, and other Restrictions (LDR's)tt spent decontamination solutions.1 Approximately, 100,000 lbs of BWR EX • glass formulations are flexible and easily waste and 30,000 lbs of PWR EX waste are accommodate process chemistry variation generated per reactor per year.t Large volumes of EX waste must, therefore, be • waste pretreatment is often minimal; waste converted to a solid stabilized waste form for can be dry or slurry fed to a melter permanent disposal. • high throughput melters which are low in cost, compact and have simple n. RATIONALE FOR VITREICATION maintenance features are readily available from commercial vendors and can be made One alternative EX resin waste stabilization transportable option is to vitrify the hazardous and radioactive species into glass.2 The rationale • commercially available melters have the for the vitrification of EX resin wastes are the ability to handle high concentrations of following: sulfate • glass is a very durable and • vitrification allows for large volume environmentally acceptable waste form reductions, sometimes up to or greater because both hazardous and radioactive than 97%5-6 species are atomistically bonded in the glass tt vitrified waste forms have the highest probability t EPRI consultant, Jene N. Vance of being "delisted" -2- [^6 AC- mnS-15-6 • large reductions in volume minimize long- forming potential" of the waste. Stabilization term storage or disposal costs of heavy metals in glass has been shown to be enhanced by use of reactive additives* • minimization of long-term storage costs such as diatomaceous earth, perlite (perflo), makes vitrification cost effective on a life rice husk ash, and/or precipitated silica.5"6 cycle basis Use of highly reactive silica was determined to lower vitrification temperatures, increase • vitrification is a well developed technology waste loadings, maximize volume reductions, minimize melt line corrosion, and produce • vitrification and resin destruction avoid EPA acceptable glasses. hydrogen generation of "resin only" storage or disposal in cement7 Vitrification via the Reactive Additive Stabilization Process (RASP) can be used to The US DOE Savannah River Site (SRS), vitrify the following types of wastes: which is operated by Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC), is currently • spent filter aids from waste water investigating vitrification for disposal of treatment various low-level and mixed wastes.4'6'8 The first hazardous/mixed wastes vitrified in • waste sludges laboratory studies at SRS have been (1) simulated incinerator wastes (ash and • combinations of spent filter aids from blowdown) and (2) actual listed nickel plating waste water treatment and waste sludges line (RCRA F006) waste water sludges admixed with spent filter
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