A Study on Treatment of Strong Acidic Wastewater Containing a High Concentration of a Nonionic Surfactant and Ionic Materials with Radioactive Nuclides

Radioactively contaminated metal components are generated during the operation or decommissioning of a nuclear power plant. These metals can be effectively decontaminated using a foam containing H2SO4 and Ce(IV) with significant reduction of radioactive liquid wastes. However, this decontamination method generates strong acidic wastewater containing a high concentration of a surfactant and ionic materials with radioactive nuclides. Treating this wastewater by using precipitation and filtration is not appropriate considering efficiency and waste generation. In this study, an integrated process of precipitation and low pressure evaporation was evaluated for the treatment of wastewater. It was confirmed that the ionic materials were separated at an efficiency above 99.9% without secondary waste generation, and the surfactant was reduced to 1/35 through this integrated process.