PNNL

Abstract

Boehmite is present in significant quantities in several of the Hanford waste tanks. It has been proposed that the boehmite will be dissolved through caustic leaching in the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant currently under construction. Therefore, it is important to fully understand the nature of this dissolution so that the process can be deployed. This research determined the impact of primary control parameters on the boehmite dissolution rate. The impact of aluminate ion on the dissolution kinetics was determined. In addition, other parameters that impact boehmite dissolution, such as free hydroxide concentration and reaction temperature, were also assessed and used to develop a semi-empirical model of the boehmite dissolution process. The understanding derived from this work will be used as the basis to evaluate and improve the planned performance of the Hanford Waste Treatment plant. This work is the first in a series of programs aimed at demonstrating the Waste Treatment Plant dissolution process. This work will be used to develop a simulant of the boehmite-containing Hanford waste. That simulant will then be used in laboratory- and pilot-scale testing to demonstrate the Waste Treatment Plant pretreatment process in an integrated fashion.