ATTEMPTS TO SOLIDIFY SOME SELECTED LIQUID RADIOACTIVE ORGANIC WASTES

J. Ogłaza, Z. Nowak

Institute of Atomic Energy, 05-400 Otwock-Swierk, Poland


The present study was to aimed testing the possibility of transformation of some radioactively contaminated organic substances into a solid waste by applying a developed solidifying process of used ion exchangers by means of polyester resins (polymal 109) or epoxide (epidiane-51). The possibilities were tested for organic solvents (carbon tetrachloride and dodecane), thier TBP solutions, an engine oil, as well as for joint solidification of the oil and ion exchangers. Both the binding polymer materials appeared to be useful for incorporating definite amounts of organic liquids (within 15-23 vol%) with a certain limitation for the sets: epidiane-carbon tetrachloride and polymal-oil. For example, solidification was possible of an organic liquid in a polymer-ion exchanger in the ratio 40% of ion exchanger and 10% of oil.
The obtained solidification products showed satisfactory physical and chemical properties. The compressive strenght of the products containing about 20% of the organic liquids was significantly reduced as compared with the strenght of the polymers alone. However, the obtained figures were still at the level of a dozen or so of MPa. The leachability of these solidification products was small after 21 days of contact of the products with water it did not exceed 10-3 of the orginal content of Cs-137.