Enhanced removal of dissolved metal ions in radioactive effluents by flocculation

Decontamination of radioactive effluents of low or intermediate level of radioactivity generated from different nuclear industries is done through the chemical precipitation route. The precipitates thus formed are of very fine sizes thereby requiring flocculation for faster settlement. The presence of polyacrylamide-based polymer not only enhances settling velocity but also increases removal of dissolved non-radioactive as well as radioactive metal ions from the liquid. About 99.5% of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions are removed due to the presence of cationic Rishabh 611. Flocculation by either cationic or anionic flocculant has shown improvement in removal of radioactive strontium while turbidity of the liquid is reduced to a very low value (0.8 NTU). Decontamination factors (DF) of the effluents from different plants are improved by 3–5 times.