Disintegration and dissolution of spent radioactive cationic exchange resins using Fenton-like oxidation process

•The spent radioactive resins could be oxidized by Fenton-like process.•The influencing factors on resin oxidation were evaluated.•Chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction rate was more than 99%.•SEM and Raman spectrum were used to analyze the resins morphological change.

The treatment and disposal of the spent radioactive resins is essential for the sustainable development of the nuclear industry. In this paper, the disintegration and dissolution of spent cationic resins were studied by Fenton-like process. The influencing factors on resin dissolution, such as pH, temperature, type and concentration of catalysts were evaluated. The results showed that the spent resins could be effectively dissolved at pH < 1, [Fe2+] = 0.2 M and T = 97 ± 2 °C. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction rate was more than 99%. The scanning electron microscopy and the Raman spectrum were used to observe the morphological changes of the spent resins during the dissolution process. Fenton-like oxidation is an efficient method for the volume reduction and stabilization of the spent resins before further immobilization.