METHOD FOR DECONTAMINATING SPECIALLY SELECTED AND CONVENTIONAL PLASTIC MATERIALS WHICH HAVE BECOME RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED, AND ARTICLES

摘要

A method for (20) decontaminating plastic products (50, 70, 80) and materials which have become radioactively contaminated. The first treatment method (20) involves dissolving such plastics (50, 70, 80) in an aqueous solvent (34) and treating the resulting solution selectively via filtration (36), ion-exchange (40), and precipitation (44) processes to remove particulate and dissolved radioactive contaminants. The second treatment method (120) involves dissolving such plastics in a dissolution tank (128) in an organic solvent and treating the resulting solution by a solvent extraction technique in column (136) to remove particulate and dissolved radioactive contaminants from the plastic. The separated plastic material can be disposed of in a sanitary landfill or recycled into other plastic products.