Saltcake Dissolution Simulant Tests

Small-scale (15 to 50 mL) dissolution equilibrium tests were performed on surrogate waste representing typical saltcake at the Savannah River and Hanford Sites. The primary objectives of this study were to gain a better understanding of the solid-liquid equilibrium of simulated-waste saltcakes and chemistry of the dissolved salt solutions. These tests were performed in preparation for similar dissolution tests with actual-waste saltcakes. Two types of tests (single-wash and multiple-wash) were performed at two temperatures (25 degrees Celsius and 50 degrees Celsius) for each saltcake simulant. The compositions of the supernatant fluids are provided for both types of dissolution tests, and profiles of the elution of each salt component are provided for the multiple-wash tests. The conclusions from these tests follow: (1) For both salt waste surrogates, dissolution of the soluble components was achieved at less than a 2:1 mass ratio of inhibited water to saltcake during multiple-wash tests., (2) Dissolution of the Hanford S-112 simulant resulted in a relatively large weight percentage of residual insoluble material (4.2 wt. percent), which was identified as a mixture of Al(OH)3 phases (bayerite and gibbsite)., and (3) The profiles for the relative elution of anions from saltcake during dissolution exhibit distinctions that are dependent upon the dissolution temperature and the initial saltcake composition