Chemical Treatment of Low-level Radioactive Liquid Waste (I)

This experiment has been carried out for the removal of long-lived radioactive-nuclides (Sr-90, Ru-106, Cs-137 and Ce-144) contained in the low-level radioactive effluents from the spent fuel reprocessing plant and nuclear power plant, in order to determine the decontaminability of various chemical coagulants and domestic clay mineral (montmorillonite). Phosphate process showed prominent efficiency for the removal of Ce-144, and lime-soda process did good removal efficiency for Sr-90. About Cs-137 copper-ferrocyanide process is much desirable. In phosphate or lime-soda process, most favorable removal efficiency was obtained at more than pH 11. The montmorillonite treated with sodium chloride showed a considerable improvement in the removal of the radioactive-nuclides. By a combined chemicals-montmorillionite process, the radioactive-nuclides could be more effectively removed than by the only chemicals process.

핵연료 재처리 과정이나 원자력발전소에서 대량으로 발생되는 비교적 반감기가 긴 핵종들(Sr-90, Ru-106, Cb-137, Ce-144)의 화학응집제와 국산점토 광물(montmorillonite)에 의한 제거 효율을 결정하기 위해 본 실험이 수행되었다. Phosphate process는 Ce-144의 제거에 있어서 99.5% 이상의 극히 좋은 효율을 나타냈고, lime-soda process는 Sr-90에 대하여 93%의 높은 제거율을 보였으며, Cs-187에 대해서는 copper-ferrocyanide가 제거율 99%의 매우 적절한 화학 응집제임을 나타냈다. Phosphate나 lime-soda process에서 가장 좋은 제거효율은 PH 11 이상에서 얻어졌다. 그리고 NaCl로 처리된 montmorillonite가 방사성 핵종들은 제거하는데 있어서 natural montmorillonite 보다 향상된 제거 효율을 보여주었다.