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Supernatant Treatment Considerations for the Neutralized Waste at West Valley*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

G. B. Gockley
Affiliation:
Westinghouse R&D Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
E. J. Lahoda
Affiliation:
Westinghouse R&D Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
J. M. Pope
Affiliation:
West Valley Nuclear Services Company, Inc.West Valley, New York
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Abstract

The neutralized high-level waste, stored at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center in West Valley, New York, was produced during the operation of the Nuclear Fuel Service, Inc. commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. The supernatant is a highly concentrated salt solution (NaNO3 , NaOH, Na2SO4 and NaCl) containing essentially all of the dissolved cesium as the primary radioactive component. The sludge is primarily iron and aluminum hydroxides and contains strontium and the bulk of the long-lived isotopes. The supernatant will be treated to remove essentially all of the radioactivity and then be concentrated and disposed of as low level nuclear waste. The following supernatant treatment considerations have been evaluated on a laboratory scale using simulated West Valley waste: 1) Organic ion exchange resins; 2) Inorganic ion exchange media; 3) In-tank processing. These processes will be described and preliminary laboratory data will be presented.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1983

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Footnotes

*

Work Performed Under DOE Contract # DE–AC07–81NE44139

References

REFERENCES

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