Concentrate treatment system

摘要

One aspect of the invention provides a system for treating wastestream, particularly a liquid or aqueous radwaste, for safe disposal and, in final processing, converting it into one or both forms including an aqueous form for safe discharge to the environment and a solidified form for safe disposal. Another aspect provides the capacity to employ a step where a specific target element strategy can be set up synchronizing sorbent substance choices and multiple recycle options to remove target substances from wastestream as a part of its Sorption or Powder Sorbent Isotopic Reduction step (II). Other steps cooperate with Sorption step (II) including Oxidation (I) to inactivate or destroy existing chelants, Solid-Liquid separation (III), and Selective Ion Exchange (IV) to deliver the wastestream to final processing. Still further aspects of the invention address the recovery and safe handling of substances such as C-14.

主权项

1. A process for treating a liquid or aqueous wastestream consisting at least one of a group of wastes consisting of radioactive concentrate fluid, historic waste and other forms of environmental or hazardous waste or radwaste; and converting the wastestream into at least one of two selected forms including a form which is a solidified form for safe disposal and an aqueous form, which can be safely discharged to the environment, said process comprising the steps, designated as Roman numerals: I, II, III, IV and V, of:
(I) oxidizing the wastestream via addition of an oxidant to the wastestream such that any existing chelant material or substance contained in the wastestream is rendered non-effective as a chelant of metals or destroyed thereby releasing the metals into ionic form, and the wastestream is rendered subject to, or permissive of, precipitation of cobalt and other metals and release of isotopes for removal; (II) mixing the wastestream with at least one target Sorbent material such that isotopes are removed from the wastestream; (III) separating the wastestream into Solid and Liquid components; (IV) treating the wastestream by Selective Ion Exchange (IX); and (V) final processing, wherein at least one step is chosen from a group consisting of:
(Va) discharging the wastestream in said aqueous form, and(Vb) drying of a resulting wastestream having dissolved solids to Dry Solids, as said solidified form; wherein, step (I) is an Oxidation or Ozone Oxidation step, further comprising the substeps of: communicating the wastestream from a stored location through a first hydrocyclone, whereat a solids partition of the wastestream is conveyed to a solids collection tank, and a remaining part of the wastestream is conveyed to a recycle oxidation vessel for processing therein, conveying the wastestream after processing in the recycle oxidation vessel to a pH and temperature measurement area and ORP measurement station, and transferring at least part of the wastestream to a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger communicating with an eductor supply feed and an ozone eductor and mixing equipment through which the wastestream is communicated to an oxidation return line back in recycle to the recycle oxidation vessel, said oxidation return line further communicating with and being contemporaneously served by a chemical injector; wherein, step (II) is a Sorption or Powder Sorbent isotope removal step, further comprising the substeps of: marshaling at least a part of the remaining wastestream not being transferred to the heat exchanger, and transferring the remaining wastestream to a sorbent treatment area, selecting at least one sorbent substance to remove at least one subject target element or isotope forming a part of the wastestream transferred to the sorbent treatment area, adding the at least one sorbent substance selected to the sorbent treatment area and mixing it therewithin, and coordinating at least one further substep selected from a group comprising repeating the selecting at least one sorbent substance until sufficient time has passed to absorb the target element or isotope forming a part of the wastestream, and recycling the wastestream transferred to the sorbent treatment until sufficient time has passed to absorb the target element or isotope forming a part of the wastestream, wherein said at least one sorbent substance is selected from a group consisting of powdered, granular, or liquid ionic flocculent and other forms of sorbents: communicating the wastestream from the sorbent treatment area to a second hydrocyclone. wherein at least a portion of the wastestream is separated out to a solid material, and wherein, between the sorbent treatment area and the second hydrocyclone communicating a first recycle line to the sorbent treatment area, when selected, of a portion of the wastestream chosen not to pass through the second hydrocyclone, transferring the solid material from the second hydrocyclone to the solids collection tank, and transferring the remaining wastestream from the second hydrocyclone to a filter unit, and wherein, between the second hydrocyclone and the filter unit communicating a second recycle line to the sorbent treatment area, when selected, of a portion of the wastestream chosen not to pass through the filter unit.