Spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Resin Testing for Cesium Removal from Hanford Tank Waste Simulant

• Published in: Separation science and technology 2006-08, Vol.41 (11), p.2461-2474
• Main Authors: Fiskum, S. K., Blanchard, D. L., Steele, M. J., Thomas, K. K., Trang-Le, T., Thorson, M. R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cesium ion exchange; Hanford tank waste; Resorcinol-formaldehyde resin; SuperLig
• ISSN: 0149-6395; 1520-5754
• DOI: 10.1080/01496390600742740

A new spherical form of resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin was tested for efficacy of cesium removal from Hanford tank waste. Two spherical RF formulations, prepared by varying curing temperature, were tested. Both resins had a tight particle size distribution and a high degree of sphericity. Small-scale column testing (on ∼20-mL resin beds) was conducted evaluating the cesium load profile with AZ-102 simulated tank waste and the cesium elution profile using 0.5 M HNO 3 eluant. The load and elution profiles were compared in side-by-side testing with ground-gel RF resin and SuperLig® 644, the Waste Treatment Plant baseline ion exchanger. Although breakthrough capacity was not as high as the other resins tested, the spherical RF resin met plant cesium loading requirements with the AZ-102 simulant matrix. Excellent reproducibility of cesium load and elution was demonstrated over three process cycles with no evidence of degraded performance. Residual cesium on the resin beds after elution was nearly a factor of 10 lower than that of the ground-gel RF and SuperLig ® 644.