Uranium Removal
Uranium Removal
(OP)
I was wondering if anyone has had any success in the removal of uranium from groundwater sources to be used for drinking water. I am aware that ion exchange resins can be effective however, the resins will eventually have to be regenerated with a NaCl brine solution or the resin would have to be replaced and disposed of.
The problems that I foresee involves disposal of a low level radioactive waste material as a solid on the resin or in liquid state in the brine solution. Would a wastewater treatment facility be able to handle the brine solution? Also where would one dispose of the low level radioactive resin material? I've checked with local state agencies to no avail.
Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.
Cheers
Chris
The problems that I foresee involves disposal of a low level radioactive waste material as a solid on the resin or in liquid state in the brine solution. Would a wastewater treatment facility be able to handle the brine solution? Also where would one dispose of the low level radioactive resin material? I've checked with local state agencies to no avail.
Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.
Cheers
Chris





RE: Uranium Removal
Found this link. Toward the middle is a list of LLW disposal sites. Don't know how current this is.
http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~jones/tmp352/projects98/group14/disposal.html#_1_2
RE: Uranium Removal
http://www.vitrification.com/
It will solve ANY heavy metal waste issue.
RE: Uranium Removal
1) The actual scientific problem,
2) Permitting difficulties, what will the EPA let you do?
and
3) Public perceptions [maybe not bad if you are purifying their drinking water].
I think you will probably find your solution by canvassing other water districts around the country that have had to deal with the same problem. You should also be able to get technical help from the Dept. of Energy, Oak Ridge Nat. Lab. etc., as they process & treat more radioactivity than anyone else.
Probably, your goal is minimization of the volume of waste and to store and ship offsite. So, you want the most selective removal technique that avoids picking up hard water minerals.
My suggestion (pending better info from experienced treaters of such material): Don't use a water softener-type IX resin that is regenerated using NaCl; UCl4 is highly soluble (and brine solution is corrosive, anyway.) I suggest using a heavy metal selective strong cation bed
(check w. Rohm & Haas, etc. and other users for the best), regenerating with dilute sulfuric, neutralizing with NaOH only to pH 6 [don't want a lot of Na2SO4 solids], then adding DMTC* to precipitate heavy metals. Add a polymer flocculant only if necessary, let settle. Drain off the clear water (after testing), then transfer the sediment into a stainless steel drying vessel that you can apply some heat to [EPA pretty much always allows evaporation w/o an add-on treatment permit]. Store in SS shipping containers in a padlocked shed with a razor wire fence around it [keep out Saddam!]. I like vitrification for treatment, but it still has to go somewhere afterwards.
*Alternatively, use Na2S and precipitate as US2.
RE: Uranium Removal
http://www.epa.gov/region01/eco/wrsdp.html
RE: Uranium Removal
RE: Uranium Removal