The use of an inorganic glassy cation exchanger for the purification of nuclear waste streams

Selective removal of certain ions is often desired in applications of ion-exchange media in water purification. For instance, in both low-level (LLW) and high-level (HLW) radioactive waste streams cesium radioisotopes (Cs-137 and Cs-134) are major contaminants, while other alkali ions (Na,K,Li) are often present in large excess in the form of non-radioactive isotopes. Durasil 10 is a silica-based, porous glass cation-exchange medium. Experiments carried out on this material have shown that it exhibits a high selectivity toward cesium ions together with a high exchange capacity and rapid exchange kinetics. These properties, along with its high mechanical strength good-flow characteristics, and chemical stability in the presence of oxidizing agents and radiation fields, have led to a series of tests aimed at characterizing the applicability of Durail 10 in removing radioactive cesium from both low-level and high-level nuclear waste streams