Cesium Removal From the Fuel Storage Water at the Savannah River Site R-Building Disassembly Basin Using 3M Empore®-Membrane Filter Technology

Abstract

This report describes results from a seven-day demonstration of the use of 3M Empore ® membrane filter loaded with ion exchange material (potassium cobalt hexacynoferrate (CoHex)) for cesium uptake from the R-Disassembly Basin at the Savannah River Site. The goal of the demonstration was to evaluate the ability of the Process Absorber Development unit (PADU), a water pre-filtration /CoHex configuration on a skid, to remove cesium from R-Disassembly Basin at a linear processing flow rate of 22.7 liters per minute (1,195.8 liters/minute/m 2 or 29.35 gallons/minute/ft 2 ).Over 210,000 liters (>55,500 gallons) of R-Disassembly Basin water was processed through the PADU without a cesium breakthrough, that is, the effluent after treatment with CoHex, contained less than detectable amounts of radioactive cesium.Some of the observed advantages of the Empore ® membrane filter technology over conventional packed column ion exchange systems includes rapid flow rates without channeling effects, low volume secondary waste and fast extraction or rapid kinetics per unit of flow.