Photo-activation of the wet oxidation of ion exchange resins

The nuclear industry is interested in finding better ways of disposing of spent organic ion exchange resins. It has been shown that they can be decomposed by wet oxidation using hydrogen peroxide and a suitable catalyst. However, the consumption of hydrogen peroxide is excessive rendering the process uneconomic. Work with a simple immersion photo-reactor has shown that the rate of reaction may be increased by the application of uv radiation. The initial immersion reactor was not ideal and this led to the development of a flow reactor. (author)