Management of assorted organic radioanalytical waste

Various organic extractants such as theonyl triflouroacetone (TTA), tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP), Tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO), N,N,N´,N´-tetra(2-ethylhexyl) diglycolamide (TEHDGA), N,N,N´,N´-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA), 2- ethylhexyl, 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid (PC88A), and di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid(D2EHPA) etc. are being employed for the radioanalytical and separation of radionuclides like uranium, plutonium, Am, ⁹⁰Sr, ⁹⁰Y, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁰⁶Ru etc. in control laboratories attached to fuel reprocessing facilities. Organic wastes generated during these operations need different treatment techniques prior to sending them to waste management plants as they have stringent specifications for accepting waste solutions, requiring their segregation. However, it is practically not feasible to segregate each and every analytical organic waste generated and hence mixed together to make a single assorted organic waste. Major constituent of the waste is generally HTTA in xylene used routinely for the estimation of plutonium and hence contains substantial amount of plutonium