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Electrochemical Treatment of Mixed and Hazardous Waste

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

J. Dziewinski
Affiliation:
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, jacek@lanl.gov
S. Marczak
Affiliation:
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, jacek@lanl.gov
E. Nuttall
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical & Nuclear Engineering, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, nuttall@enzu.unm.edu.
W. Smith
Affiliation:
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, jacek@lanl.gov
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Abstract

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and The University of New Mexico are jointly developing an electrochemical process for treating hazardous and radioactive wastes. The wastes treatable by the process include toxic metal solutions, cyanide solutions, and various organic wastes that may contain chlorinated organic compounds. The main component of the process is a stack of electrolytic cells with peripheral equipment such as a rectifier, feed system, tanks with feed and treated solutions, and a gas-venting system. During the treatment, toxic metals are deposited on the cathode, cyanides are oxidized on the anode, and organic compounds are anodically oxidized by direct or mediated electrooxidation, depending on their type. Bench scale experimental studies have confirmed the feasibility of applying electrochemical systems to processing of a great variety of hazardous and mixed wastes. The operating parameters have been defined for different waste compositions using surrogate wastes. Mixed wastes are currently treated at bench scale as part of the treatability study.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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