Improvement of Cs leaching resistance of solidified radwastes with copper ferrocyanide (CFC)-vermiculite

Cesium removal from de-ionized water, seawater, and limewater using copper ferrocyanide (CFC) and porous media including silica gel, bentonite, vermiculite, and zeolite as adsorbents were investigated; CFC was incorporated with vermiculite to prepare a compound adsorbent for improving the Cs-leaching resistance of solidified borate radwastes. It was shown that the Cs-removal efficiency by CFC, defined as the percentage of cesium removed or adsorpted from solution, was largely affected by pHs of the solutions. Good removal efficiency occurred at pHs ranging from 3 to 12 with the best from 7 to 10. Vermiculite and zeolite were shown to have better removal power than silica gel and bentonite, and vermiculite was chosen to incorporate with CFC to make compound adsorbents because of its good compatibility with CFC floc. Compound adsorbents with different CFC contents were used as additives in the solidification of radioactive borate wastes for improving the cesium leaching resistance of the solidified products. Experimental results showed that the cesium leachability index measured following the method described in ANSI/ANS 16.1 increased from 7.96 to 9.76 by adding 0.25% of a compound adsorbent containing 20% CFC and 80% vermiculite. It indicated that the compound adsorbent is very useful for improving cesium-leaching resistance of the solidified borate wastes.