BIOMEDY
Applications RAXORB
App Rx503 - Decontamination from radionuclides of condensates of evaporators at K503 nuclear power plant
Processing of radioactive wastes leads to the formation of radioactive condensates of evaporators (debalance water) containing ammonia as the basic compound in the concentration of 7 - 25 mg/dm3 and having a pH value ranging 7.0 - 8.5. Besides, oils and other organic compounds are usually present in the water.

RAXORB3/5, a granular (0.4 - 1.0 mm spheres) selective ion-exchanger, chemically composed of ferrocyanide of divalent metals fixed on inorganic carrier, was used as sorbents in the construction of a filter system for the decontamination of debalance water at K503 nuclear power plants.

Because the radioactivity of debalance water was essentially due to radionuclides of Cesium (40-3700 Bq/l), RAXORB3/5 was chosen since its selectivity towards 137Cesium which absorption ratio is:

  • from debalance water > 1x104 cm3/g
  • from 0.01 mole/dm3 of NH4Cl > 1x104 cm3/g
  • from 0.5 mole/dm3 of NH4Cl > 1x104 cm3/g

Debalance water of K503 nuclear power station was filtered at rate of 30 times the volume of RAXORB3/5. After filtering 46,000 times the volume of sorbent it was noticed that the RAXORB3/5 was far from being exhausted.