technologies for radon & radionuclide removal tom sorg u. s. environmental protection agency
TRANSCRIPT
Radioactive Element in the Uranium 238 decay series
Decay product of Ra 226
Alpha emitter
Half life of 3.8 days
Radon - 222
Rn 222 3.8 days
Po 218 3 minPb 214 27 min
Bi 214 20 minPo 214 1.6x10-6 sec
Pb 210 20 years
Radon - 222
Gas
Naturally occurring ground water contaminant
Proposed MCL - 300 pCi/L
MMM Program - 4000pCi/L (AMCL)
Radon - 222
Packed tower 90 -99 %High performance PP 90 - 99%Diffused bubble 70 - 99 %Tray 80 - 90 %Spray 80 - 90 %Mechanical surface >90 %
Aeration Technology
GAC 80 - 99 %
High EBCT requirementsPotential radiation exposure problemsPotential waste disposal problems
GAC TechnologyVery Small Systems/ POU/POE
Ra 224Thorium seriesAlpha emitterHalf life of 3.6 days
Ra 226Uranium seriesAlpha emitterHalf life of 1620 years
Radium
Cation Ra+2
Naturally occurring ground water contaminant
Current MCL - 5 pCi/L (Ra 226 + Ra 228)
Radium
Cation Exchange 65 - 95 %
Lime Softening 80 - 95 %
Membrane Processes 90 - 99 %
Selective Complexers 97+ %
Radium Removal Technology
Cation Exchange - Selectivity Sequence
Ra+2 > Ba+2 > Ca+2 > Mg+2 > Na+2 > H+2
Hardness can be used as a surrogate measurement of radium breakthrough
Radium Removal Technology
U 238Uranium seriesAlpha emitterHalf life of 4.5x109 years
U 234Uranium seriesAlpha emitterHalf life of 2.5x105 years
Uranium
Cation/Anion/Neutral depending on pH
Naturally occurring ground water contaminant
Current MCL - none
Proposed MCL in 1991 20 ug/L 30 pCi/L
Uranium
Uranium in Water Chemical Forms
pH < 2.5 Cation - UO2+
pH < 2.5 - 7 Neutral - UO2(CO3)0
pH 7 - 10 Anion - UO2(CO3)-2
- UO2(CO3)-4
Coagulation/Filtration 80 - 95 %Lime softening 85 - 99 %Anion Exchange 90 - 99 % Activated Alumina 90 - 99 %Membrane processes 90 - 99 %
Uranium Removal Technology
Anion Exchange - High U capacity
Treat 10k -100k bed volumes
Capacity sulfate dependent
Uranium Removal Technology
Cation /Anion Exchange System
Ra 100 -1500 BVsU 10k -100k BVs
Adjust amount of cation / anion resinOptimum mixture - 10 % anion
90 % cation
Uranium + RadiumRemoval Technology
Gross Alpha, Beta Particle & Photon Emiters
MCLs
Gross alpha - 15 pCi/L (including Ra 226)
Beta particle &photon emitters - 4 mrem/year
Gross alpha Reverse osmosis
Beta particle & Ion Exchangephoton emitters Reverse Osmosis
Gross Alpha, Beta Particle & Photon Emiters
BAT
SUMMARY
•Radon, radium & uranium are naturally occurring contaminants usually occurring in ground water.
SUMMARY - RADON
•Aeration and GAC are effective treatment technologies for radon.
•Of the two technologies, only aeration will be listed as a BAT and likely be the technology of choice in almost all cases.
•GAC will likely be considered for only very small systems and for POU/POE.
SUMMARY - RADIUM
•All technologies effective for hardness removal are generally effective for radium removal.
•Cation exchange, lime softening and reverse osmosis are the technologies currently being applied for radium removal.
SUMMARY - URANIUM
•Most conventional technologies have some capability for uranium removal.
•Anion exchange has been successfully applied for uranium removal from small ground water systems.