• Resources Recycling
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.22-28
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• 2001

Recovery of silver in the spent solution generated from MEO(Mediated Electrochemical Oxidation) process, which is a process to decompose radioactive organic mixed wastes at low temperature, was performed using chemical method. Silver nitrate in 5M nitric acid solution could be completely recovered as AgCl by using 1% excess of the stoichiometric HCl equivalents. Then, AgCl was transformed to Ag metal by reduction reaction with hydrogen peroxide under alkaline media. The optimum pH for the reduction to silver metal was found to be in the range of 12.8∼13.0.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.635-640
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• 2005

Mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) is an aqueous process which oxidizes organics electrochemicallly at low temperatures and pressures. The useful process can be used to treat mixed wastes containing hazardous organics. This paper have studied MEO of ethylene glycol (EG) in nitric acids by Fe(III)/Fe(II) and Co(III)/Co(II) system. It investigated current density, supporting electrolyte concentration, hydraulic retention time, removal efficiency of EG by MEO. Removal efficiency of EG by MEO was superior in Co(III)/Co(II) redox system than Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox system, where MEO removal efficiency was 100 percent. In case of EG, the reactions were fast and good yields of carbon dioxide formation was observed.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.206-211
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• 2005

Mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) of polyethylene glycols (PEGs) of molecular weight of 1000, 4000 and 20000, was carried out on both platinum (Pt) and titanium-iridium electrodes in 8.0 M nitric acid solution containing 0.5 M Fe(II) and Co(II) ion. The electrochemical parameters such as current densities, kinds of electrode, electrolyte concentration and removal efficiency were investigated in both Fe(III)/Fe(II) and Co(III)/Co(II) redox systems. The PEGs was decomposed into carbon dioxide by MEO in Fe(III)/Fe(II) and Co(III)/Co(II) redox system during 180 min and 210 min at the current density of $0.67A/cm^2$ on the Pt electrode. Removal efficiency of PEGs by MEO was better in Co(III)/Co(II) redox system than Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox system, indicating mediated electrochemical removal efficiency was 100%.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.121-129
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• 2011

The effects of the applied current density, the $AgNO_3$ concentration, the scrubbing liquid flow rate and the NO-air mixed gas flow rate on the NO removal efficiency were investigated by using $Ag^{2+}$ mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO). Results showed that the NO removal efficiency increased with increasing the applied current density. The effect of the $AgNO_3$ concentration on the NO removal efficiency was negligibly small in the concentration of $AgNO_3$ above 0.1 M. When the scrubbing liquid flow rate increased, the NO removal efficiency was gradually increased. On the other hands, the NO removal efficiency decreased with increasing the NO-air mixed gas flow rate. As a result of the treatment of NO-air mixed gas by using the MEO process with the optimum operating condition and the chemical absorption process using 3 M $HNO_3$ solution as a scrubbing liquid, the removal efficiency of NO and $NO_x$ was achieved as 95% and 63%, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.183-189
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• 1999

A study on the destruction of organic cation and anion exchange resins by electro-generated Ag(II) as a mediator was carried out to develop the ambient-temperature aqueous process, known as Ag(II)-mediated electro-chemical oxidation (MEO) process, for the treatment of a large quantity of spent organic ion exchange resins as the low and Intermediated-level radioactive wastes arising from the operation, maintenance and repairs of nuclear facilities. The effects of controllable process parameters such as applied current density, temperature, and nitric acid concentration on the MEO of organic ion exchange resins were investigated. The cation exchange resin was completely decomposed to $CO_2$. The current efficiency increased with a decrease in applied current density while nitric acid concentration and temperature on the MEO of cation exchange resin did not affect the MEO. On the other hand, anion exchange resins were decomposed to CO and $CO_2$. The ultimate conversion to CO was about $10\%$ regardless of temperature. The destruction efficiencies to $CO_2$ were dependent upon temperature and the effective destruction of anion exchange resin could be obtained above $60^{\circ}C$.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.974-978
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• 2008

Removal of heavy metal ions ($Cd^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$) by electrocoagulation (ECG) was investigated in an acidic condition, which is necessary for re-using or discharging the mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) media. Effects of various parameters such as electrolytes, current densities, and electrode materials were examined for a metal-contaminated MEO system using $Fe^{2+}/Fe^{3+}$ pairs as a mediator. It was found that ECG with Al electrodes is greatly affected by the presence of $Fe^{2+}$. [$Cd^{2+}$] and [$Zn^{2+}$] remain constant until [$Fe^{2+}$] reaches a certain concentration level (ca. 10 mM). This preferential removal of $Fe^{2+}$ during ECG with Al electrodes is not alleviated by controlling current densities, potential programs, and solution mixing. ECG with Fe electrodes, on the other hand, resulted in relatively fast removal of $Cd^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ under coexistence of $Fe^{2+}$, indicative of the different role between $Fe^{n+}$ generated from an electrode and $Fe^{2+}$ initially present in a solution. When ECG was performed with Fe electrodes until [$Fe^{n+}$] became the same as the concentration of initially present $Fe^{2+}$, [$Cd^{2+}$] and [$Zn^{2+}$] were reduced to one-tenth of the initial concentrations, suggesting the possibility of a continuous use of the medium for a subsequent MEO process.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.17-26
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• 1998

A study on the recovery of silver and nitric acid in the liquid waste resulted from the mediated electrochemical oxidation(MEO) process was conducted. The removal of silver in the concentrated nitric acid solutions was carried out by the electrodeposition. The removal efficiency more than 98% could be obtained in nitric acid concentrations less than 3 M with the current efficiency of nearly 100%. The experimonts on the evaporation for the recovery of nitric acid were performed as well. At the evaporation factor of 25., the degree of nitric acid recovery in 3.5 M nitric acid solution containing 0.5 to 1.0 mol% NaNO, was 80~90% resulting in 2.8~3.1 M nitric acid. The design factors and operating conditions of the distillation tower were analyzed by using MEH model derived by Maphtali-Sandholm with the throughput of 4 kg/hr for the enrichment of dilute nitric acid solution recovered by evaporation to reuse in the MEO process. The distillation column composed of eleven theoretical stages having the overall tray efficiency of 70% are needed to obtain 1.03 kg/h of 12M nitric acid and 2.97 kg/h of water with feed being introduced to the column at tray 6 from the bottom at the reflux ratio of 0.25, the reboiler with the heat load of 2.7 kW, and the condenser with the cooling load of 0.5 kW.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 1999

From the anodic peak currents of cyclic voltammograms for Ag(I)/Ag(II) couple obtained with the variation of nitric acid concentration, Ag(I) concentration and solution temperature at a Pt electrode in concentrated nitric acid solutions, the diffusion coefficients of Ag(I) ion were evaluated to estimate the limiting current density of Ag(II)-mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) process, which has been effectively used for the complete destruction of hazardous organic materials. The results showed that, due to the water decomposition reaction which occurred simultaneously with the Ag(I) ion oxidation, background subtractions for the cyclic voltammograms were required to estimate the correct peak currents. The empirical relationship for the diffusion coefficient of Ag(I) was suggested as a function of solution viscosity and temperature.