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Characterization of Aluminosilicate Formation on the Surface of a Crystalline Silicotitanate Ion Exchanger

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

J. S. Young
Affiliation:
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352
Y. Su
Affiliation:
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352
L. Li
Affiliation:
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352
M. L. Balmer
Affiliation:
Caterpillar Inc., Technical Center - E/854, P.O. Box 1875, Peoria, IL, 61656
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Abstract

Millions of gallons of high-level radioactive waste are contained in underground tanks at U. S. Department of Energy sites such as Hanford and Savannah River. Most of the radioactivity is due to 137Cs and 90Sr, which must be extracted in order to concentrate the waste. An ion exchanger, crystalline silicotitanate IONSIV® IE911, is being considered for separation of Cs at the Savannah River Site (SRS). While the performance of this ion exchanger has been well characterized under normal operating conditions, Cs removal at slightly elevated temperatures, such as those that may occur in a process upset, is not clear. Our recent study indicates that during exposure to SRS simulant at 55°C and 80°C, an aluminosilicate coating formed on the exchanger surface. There was concern that the coating would affect its ion exchange properties. A LEO 982 field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and an Oxford ISIS energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDS) were used to characterize the coating.

Type
Microscopy in the Real World: Semiconductors and Materials
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001

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