Treatment of radioactive laboratory waste for mercury removal

Routine analyses of Savannah River Laboratory wastes at the Savannah River Site occasionally reveal Hg concentrations in the waste in excess of the 0.200 mg L⁻¹ RCRA limit. An ion exchange resin was demonstrated to be effective for the removal of dissolved Hg from experimental waste in a special, permitted decontamination project. The ion exchange material is Duolite^™ GT-73, a polystyrene/divinylbenzene resin with thiol (S-H) functional groups. As a result of the resin's demonstrated effectiveness in that decontamination project, it has been placed in use or is under consideration for use with several other Site radwaste streams as a reliable medium for Hg removal.