Fiscal year 1996 laboratory scale studies of cesium elution in tank 8D-1

This report details work performed as part of the West Valley Support Project (WVSP) by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This work is intended to support residual waste removal during high-level waste (HLW) tank stabilization activities to be performed by the West valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). The HLW originated from a now inactive commercial nuclear fuel-reprocessing plant at West Valley, New York. It is stored in a carbon-steel tank designated 8D-2. Cesium-loaded zeolite was generated by a supernatant decontamination process involving ion exchange. The exchange columns and the spent zeolite are stored in a carbon-steel tank designated 8D-1. During the vitrification phase of the WVDP waste remediation, and estimated 95 percent of the zeolite will be transferred from tank 8D-1 to tank 8D- 2. The remaining cesium-loaded zeolite will require treatment to remove the highly radioactive cesium. This report summarizes the findings of laboratory experiments. The primary objectives of these experiments were: to refine the optimum process conditions for use of oxalic acid to elute cesium from zeolite; minimize iron dissolution during cesium elution; investigation of the effect of neutralization on cesium elution; determination of effects of zeolite particle size on cesium elution; and determine if aluminum can be used as an indicator for cesium in solution