Destruction of Ion-Exchange Resin In Waste From the HFIR, T1 and T2 Tanks Using Fenton's Reagent

The use of Fenton's reagent (hydrogen peroxide and a ferrous iron catalyst) has been tested as a method for destroying ion-exchange resin in radioactive waste from three underground storage tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The resin in these wastes must be destroyed before they can be transferred to the Melton Valley Storage Tanks (MVSTs) prior to solidification and disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The reaction with ion-exchange resin requires a dilute acidic solution (pH = 3 to 5) and moderate temperatures (T = 60 to 100 C). Laboratory-scale tests of the process have been successfully completed using both simulants and actual waste samples. The ion-exchange resin is oxidized to carbon dioxide and inorganic salts. The reaction rate is quite slow for temperatures below 70 C but increases almost linearly as the temperature of the slurry increases from 70 to 90 C. Pilot-scale tests have demonstrated the process using larger samples of actual waste slurries. A sample from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) tank, containing 500 mL of settled solids (resin and inorganic sludge) in a total volume of 1800 mL, was successfully treated to meet MVST waste acceptance requirements in 9 h of processing time, using 1650 mL of 50 wt% hydrogen peroxide. A composite sample from the T1 and T2 tanks, which contained 1000 mL of settled solids in a total volume of 2000 mL required 8 h of treatment, using 1540 mL of 50 wt% peroxide, to meet waste acceptance requirements. Hydrogen peroxide reaction rates were 0.71 to 0.74 g H2O2/L/min, with very low (<2000 mg/L) concentrations of peroxide in the slurry. The reaction produces mostly carbon dioxide gas during the early part of the treatment, when organic carbon concentrations in the slurry are high, and then produces increasing amounts of oxygen as the organic carbon concentration drops. Small amounts (<3 vol%) of carbon monoxide are also generated. The off-gas from the pilot-scale tests, which was 81 vol% nitrogen purge gas and 19 vol% gas generated by the reaction, also showed trace quantities of numerous volatile organics. Maximum concentrations measured were 48 ppm diethylbenzene, 40 ppm acetone, and 21 ppm benzene, with a maximum total volatile organic concentration of 122 ppm