Characterization of Spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Resin Cesium Adsorption with Batch Contact Tests

Abstract

Batch contact tests provided data that will be useful in cesium isotherm modeling of spherical resorcinol-formaldehyde ion exchange resin. This resin is the baseline for cesium removal from alkaline high sodium nuclear waste at the Hanford River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant and is being considered for other applications. Batch contact work at 25°C found that increasing potassium concentration in alkaline solution simulating waste unexpectedly improves cesium adsorption when cesium concentration exceeds about 0.001 M. At lower cesium levels potassium competes with cesium for adsorption on the resin as expected. Additional batch work found that dimethylamine cation competes strongly with sodium adsorption with no significant reduction in cesium adsorption.

Keywords:

• cesium
• ion exchange
• resorcinol-formaldehyde
• spherical resin

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management. This manuscript has been authored by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC under contract number DE-A-AC09-08SR22470 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

Notes

*A verification measurement provided 4.96 M sodium.

**All densities were average measurements. Relative standard deviations of triplicate density measurements were all less than 0.14% of the average value.

N/M = not measured, and N/S = not specified.