VITRIFICATION OF CESIUM-LADEN ORGANIC ION-EXCHANGE RESIN IN A STIRREDMELTER

Tests were conducted using a stirred-tank melter to vitrify nonradioac tive, cesium-laden organic ion-exchange resin. This resin, which is hi ghly effective in removing cesium from solution, was developed to repl ace the complex sodium tetraphenylborate precipitation process used at the Defense Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site to r emove Cs-137 from a wastewater solution. The glass produced had a Fe2/Fe-Total ratio that was acceptable for high-level waste glass. No dam age to the melter was observed. Lower-bound estimates of overall cesiu m retention in the glass range from 70.5 to 73.9%. Only, 2.1 to 4.3% o f the cesium was emitted from the melter Because between 21.8 and 27.4 % of the cesium was not recovered, the overall cesium retention may ha ve been substantially higher.