Separation of cesium from intermediate level waste solutions using zirconyl tungstate ceramic-supported membranes

Zirconyl tungstate ceramic-supported membranes were developed and character ized. The transport process of Cs(I), Sr(II) and La(III) from the anode com partment to the cathode was investigated. The cationic fluxes for Cs(I), Sr (II) and La(III) were found to be 9.10(-10), 2.7.10(-9) and 2.4.10(-9) g.eq .cm(-2).s(-1), respectively. The transport numbers of these cations were fo und to be 0.12, 0.07 and 0.09, respectively. Separation of Cs(I), Sr(II) an d La(III) was achieved using EDTA as a chelating agent in the anode compart ment. Cs(I) was successfully separated with a decontamination factor of 97% from simulated intermediate level liquid waste (ILLW) containing Cs(I) and Sr(II).