Calcination of Fluorinel-sodium waste blends using sugar as a feed additive (formerly WINCO-11879)

Abstract

Methods were studied for using sugar as a feed additive for convertingthe sodium-bearingwastes stored at the Idaho Chemical ProcessingPlant into granular, free flowing solids by fluidized-bed -, calcinationat 500°C. All methods studied blended sodium-bearingwastes with Fluorinelwastes but differed in the types of sugar (sucrose or dextrose) that were added to the blend. The most promising sugar additive was determinedto be sucrose, since it is converted more completelyto inorganiccarbon than is dextrose. The effect of the feed aluminum-to-alkali metal mole ratio on calcinationof these blends with sugar was also investigated. Increasingthe aluminum-to-alkali metal ratio from 0.6 to 1.0 decreased the calcine product-to-finesratio from 3.0 to 1.0 and the attrition index from 80 to 15%. Further increasing the ratio to 1.25 had no effect.TT-CFSWB. WP/PFL/TECH i|i FINaS-6 solids rusted parts of the stainlesssteel retrieval equipment ."that would be in contact with any gases evolved from the calcine and flaked the inside of the retrievalvessel.The runs also investigatedfeed aluminum-to-alkali metal (AI/Na+K) mole ratios of 0.6, 1.0 and 1.25. Increasingthe feed AI/Na+K mole ratio from 0.6 to 1.0 decreased the calcine product-to-finesratio from 3.0 to 1.0, the product productionrate from 250 to -175 g/h, and the attrition index from 80 to -15%. Whereas, increasingthe feed AI/Na+K mole ratio from 1.0 to 1.25 had little or no effect on the calcine product-to-fines ratio, product production rate, and attrition indices. Increasingthe feed AI/Na+K mole ration from 0.6 to 1.25 had little or no effect on the behavior of chloride, fluoride, carbon, or cadmium during calcination.v"