NUREG/CR-6766 

 INEEL/EXT-01-01681

 Release of Radionuclides and

Chelating Agents from

Full-System Decontamination

Ion-Exchange Resins

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Washington, DC 20555-0001
 

 NUREG/CR-6766 

 INEEL/EXT-01-01681

Release of Radionuclides and

Chelating Agents from

Full-System Decontamination

Ion-Exchange Resins

Manuscript Completed: March 2002

Date Published: March 2002

Prepared by

D. W. Akers

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

P.O. Box 1625

Idaho Falls, ID 83415

P.R. Reed, NRC Project Manager

Prepared for

Division of Systems Analysis and Regulatory Effectiveness

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Washington, DC 20555-0001

NRC Job Code A6359
iii 

ABSTRACT 

As part of a study being performed for the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC), small-scale waste specimens were collected following an 

AP/CAN-DEREM full-system decontamination of the reactor vessel of the 

Indian Point 2 reactor vessel in March 1995. CAN-DEREM is a modified version 

of a reduction process developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. for that 

country's heavy-water CANDU reactors. The INEEL research was undertaken to 

support licensing needs for reviewing radiological and chemical data and 

information to address uncertainties associated with disposal of low-level 

radioactive decontamination waste in performance assessment modeling. This 

report presents information on radionuclide and chelate characteristics of 

decontamination radwaste on ion-exchange resins. The information is expected to 

reduce uncertainties associated with developing radionuclide inventories for the 

performance assessment. 

Job Code A6359—Characteristics Level Radioactive Waste: 

Decontamination Waste 
iv 

CONTENTS 

ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... vi

FOREWORD .............................................................................................................................................viii

ACRONYMS............................................................................................................................................... ix

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1

FIVE-STEP AP/CAN-DEREM PROCESS.................................................................................................. 4

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES............................................................................................................. 5

Analytical Methods ............................................................................................................................ 5

Radionuclide Analysis ............................................................................................................. 5

Chelating Agent Analysis ........................................................................................................ 7

Leach-Test Method............................................................................................................................. 7

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS...................................................................................................................... 8

Resin Radionuclide Inventories.......................................................................................................... 8

Leachate Radionuclide Inventories .................................................................................................. 10

Fractional Release Rates................................................................................................................... 10

Annual Release Rates............................................................................................................. 14

Organic and Inorganic Leachate Composition....................................................................... 14

SUMMARY................................................................................................................................................ 19

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 21

Appendix A—Resin Leach Rate Data ......................................................................................................A-1 

TABLES 

1. Estimates of resin loading during the five-step CAN-DEREM process (high boron content)........... 4

2. Simulated Hanford groundwater formulation (pH=8.9)..................................................................... 7

3. Resin waste inventories ...................................................................................................................... 9

4. Resin leach results for 37 and 93 days ............................................................................................. 11

5. Fractional release rates ..................................................................................................................... 13

6. pCi/yr/g release rates ........................................................................................................................ 15
v 

7. pCi/yr release rates ........................................................................................................................... 16

8. Leachate concentrations (ug/L) for cations and transition metals .................................................... 17

9. Leachate concentrations (mg/L) for inorganic anions...................................................................... 17

10. Leachate concentrations (mg/L) for organic ligands........................................................................ 18
vi 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

During light water reactor operation, the in-core irradiation of fuel rod cladding and other reactor 

structural surfaces and the subsequent corrosion of these components introduce activation products such 

as 54Mn, 55Fe, 60Co, 63Ni, and transuranics into the primary coolant. These neutron activation products are 

transported by the primary coolant throughout the primary system. Some fraction of these activation 

products adheres to internal primary system surfaces and, over time, can result in the buildup of deposited 

activity and substantial radiation fields in the vicinity of these surfaces. In order to minimize occupational 

exposure during primary system maintenance and inspection activities, chemical decontamination 

methods are now commonly employed to remove neutron activation products from primary system 

internal surfaces. 

The purpose of this research program was to characterize the ion-exchange resins for radionuclide and 

chelating content, perform leaching experiments on the ion-exchange resins, and determine release rates 

for radionuclides and chelating agents from a full-system decontamination when subjected to a simulated 

Hanford groundwater. In this study, plant personnel collected untreated ion-exchange resin wastes from 

resin storage tanks following decontamination of the reactor vessel at Indian Point 2 in March 1995. A 

five-step AP/CAN-DEREM process was performed on the reactor vessel following removal of the reactor 

fuel and the borated primary coolant water. 

The INEEL research was undertaken to support licensing needs for reviewing radiological and 

chemical data and information to address uncertainties associated with disposal of low-level radioactive 

decontamination waste in performance assessment modeling. This report presents information on 

radionuclide and chelate characteristics of decontamination radwaste on ion-exchange resins. The 

information is expected to reduce uncertainties associated with developing radionuclide inventories for 

the performance assessment. 

The five-step AP/CAN-DEREM decontamination process is a modified version of a reduction process 

developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) for that country’s heavy-water CANDU reactors. 

Con Edison had funded some of AECL’s original development of the process and later worked with 

ESEERCO in developing the AP (alkaline permanganate) pretreatment step. Principal reagents used in 

this process include several proprietary chelating agents. Although based on prior formulations, it is 

expected that oxalic acid, citric acid, and EDTA (ethylene diaminetetraacetic) are present. These 

components can function as chelating agents. Chelating agents are used in reactor system 

decontamination formulas because they form strong complexes with actinides, lanthanides, heavy metals, 

and transition metals and help them to stay in solution. These chemical decontamination solutions, once 

used, are treated with ion-exchange resins to extract soluble metals and chemicals; these resins constitute 

the final waste to be processed and disposed of from the decontamination process. 

The resin wastes contain quantities of chelates or complexing agents in addition to inventories of 

radioactive corrosion products. A potential problem with the chelated decontamination wastes is the 

potential for increased solubility of the organo-radionuclide complexes in groundwaters at low-levelwaste repositories. 

A simplified leach test was performed to assess the release of chelating agents and radionuclides from 

the material. Measurements were performed for pH and conductivity of the leachate; for the 

concentrations of radionuclides, stable metals, and expected chelating agents in the waste; and for the 

releases of these constituents from the waste resin into the leachant. The releases to the leachant are 

quantified in terms of absolute and fractional release rates, and cumulative fractional release. 

Several transuranic radionuclides, including 239Pu, 241Am, 242,244Cm , 241Pu, and 238Pu, were found in 

the resins. The highest radionuclide concentration was for 241Pu at 1.00E+5 pCi/g in the cation resin. The 
vii 

radionuclide concentrations for the transuranics are 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than those found in 

previous decontamination ion-exchange resins analyzed as part of this project and summarized in 

NUREG/CR 6201. 

Primary conclusions of this evaluation are that the fractional release rates for the decontamination 

radionuclides 60Co, 59,63Ni, 54Mn, and 65Zn range from 3E-3 to 1E-1 or 0.3–10% for leach periods up to 93 

days. This is a fairly highly release for these radionuclides and is considerably higher than that expected 

from cement solidified waste forms. Typically, the release rates from the anion and deborating resins are 

higher than those from the cation resin, which may be considered more likely because the 

decontamination radionuclides are cations. 

There appears to be little difference in the release over 37 and 93 days, which suggests that most of the 

radioactive material release may occur relatively early in the leach period, with little additional release 

over the longer term. These data would suggest that most of the inventory is retained in the resin and is 

not subject to significant release until the resin begins to age and deteriorate, which generally occurs 

relatively rapidly. 

Despite containing much higher radionuclide activities, the leachate from the cation resin does not 

contain the highest concentrations of corrosion product derived transition metals; the anion resin leachate 

contains the most. And, in general, the leachates from the deborating resin contain the lowest 

concentrations of transition metals. This may be likely, as the cation resin may bind the cation 

decontamination elements more tightly than does the anion or deborating resin. 

Only the cation resin leachate contained measurable concentrations of EDTA. The concentration. 

(70.1 mg/L) is equivalent to 2.4 x 10-4 M. EDTA, which is expected to be the primary chelating agent 

present and appears to be largely destroyed during the CAN-DEREM process, with only a low 

concentration remaining in the decontamination waste. This suggests that potential chelating agent 

mobility of radionuclides in wastes may be relatively limited due to the small amount of EDTA present. 
viii 

FOREWORD 

This contractor technical report was prepared by the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental 

Laboratory1

 under their DOE Interagency Work Order (JCN A6359) with the Radiation Protection, 

Environmental Risk and Waste Management Branch, Division of Systems Analysis and Regulatory 

Effectiveness, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

This report is the last in a series of contractor reports documenting INEEL’s research results on 

decontamination of low-level radioactive waste collected from operating nuclear power stations. 

The report documents the research results from studies performed on decontamination radwaste 

obtained from a full reactor core decontamination of the Indian Point 2 nuclear station using the newly 

developed CAN-DEREM decontamination process 

The INEEL research was undertaken to support licensing needs for reviewing radiological and 

chemical data and information to address uncertainties associated with disposal of low-level radioactive 

decontamination waste in performance assessment modeling as outlined in A Performance Assessment 

Methodology for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities, NUREG-1573. This INEEL report 

presents information on radionuclide and chelate characteristics of decontamination radwaste on ionexchange resins. The information is expected to reduce uncertainties associated with developing 

radionuclide inventories for the performance assessment. The report also describes a leaching 

methodology for decontamination waste on ion-exchange resins and presents data on the leaching of 

radionuclides and chelating agents from decontamination waste. The leaching information can be used in 

source term models to estimate source term releases in performance assessments and as data for research 

studies to evaluate the formation and behavior of radionuclide-chelating complexes released to the 

groundwater from waste disposal facilities. 

This report is not a substitute for NRC regulations, and compliance is not required. The approaches 

and methods described in this NUREG/CR report are provided for information only. Publication of the 

report does not necessarily constitute NRC approval or agreement with the information contained herein. 

Use of product or trade names is for identification only and does not constitute endorsement by the NRC 

or the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. 

 Cheryl A. Trottier, Chief 

Radiation Protection, Environmental Risk 

and Waste Management Branch 

Division of Systems Analysis and Regulatory Effectiveness 

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. 

 

1. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory is operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by Bechtel 

BWXT Idaho, LLC, under contract DE-AC07-99ID13727. 
ix 

ACRONYMS 

AECL Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. 

ANSI/ANS American National Standards Institute/American Nuclear Society 

AP alkaline permanganate 

CAN-DEREM Proprietary AECL process 

CFR cumulative fractional release 

HPGe hyperpure germanium 

ICP-AES inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy 

INEEL Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory 

ISO International Standards Organization 
1 

Release of Radionuclides and Chelating Agents from 

Full-System Decontamination Ion-Exchange Resins 

INTRODUCTION 

During light water reactor operation, the incore irradiation of fuel rod cladding and other 

reactor structural surfaces and the subsequent 

corrosion of these components introduce such 

activation products as 54Mn, 55Fe, 60Co, and 63Ni 

into the primary coolant. These neutron 

activation products are transported by the 

primary coolant throughout the primary system. 

Some fraction of these adheres to internal 

primary system surfaces and, over time, can 

result in buildup of deposited activity and 

substantial radiation fields in the vicinity of 

these surfaces. In order to minimize 

occupational exposure during primary system 

maintenance and inspection activities, chemical 

decontamination methods are now commonly 

employed to remove the neutron activation 

products from primary system internal surfaces. 

The AP/CAN-DEREM process is among the 

chemical processes most frequently used to 

decontaminate primary system components. 

Principal reagents used in this process are 

proprietary chelating agents, which may include 

citric acid, oxalic acid, or EDTA. Chelating 

agents are used in reactor system 

decontamination formulas because they form 

strong complexes with actinides, lanthanides, 

heavy metals, and transition metals, and help 

them to stay in solution. These chemical 

decontamination solutions, once used, are 

treated with ion-exchange resins to extract 

soluble metals and chemicals; these resins 

constitute the final waste to be processed and 

disposed of from the decontamination process. 

The resin wastes contain quantities of chelates or 

complexing agents in addition to inventories of 

radioactive corrosion products and lesser 

inventories of fission products. A potential 

problem with the chelated decontamination 

wastes is the potential for increased solubility of 

the organo-radionuclide complexes in 

groundwaters at low-level waste repositories. 

The resins from this process are not currently 

being solidified so the testing being performed 

as part of this program will be performed on the 

exhausted resin material. 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC) is concerned with safe disposal of these 

chemical decontamination wastes and has made 

provisions for their disposal in “Licensing 

Requirements for Land Disposal of Radioactive 

Waste” (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 

Standard 10, Part 61). Section 61.56 states 

requirements for the stability of waste forms that 

must be met for the waste form to be acceptable 

for near-surface disposal. Additional 

requirements for the disposal of chelated wastes 

are also given in burial site regulations. These 

additional references to chelating agents in Part 

61 include Part 61.2 (definitions), Part 12.12 

(f)(the description of the construction and 

operation of the land disposal facility must also 

include a description of the methods be 

employed in the handling and disposal of wastes 

containing chelating agents), and the Statement 

of Considerations to 10 CFR Part 61 which, 

among other issues, indicates that chelating 

agents have been shown to increase the 

migration of certain sites and states it is the 

Commission’s desire to evaluate the disposal of 

large quantities of chelating agents on a case-bycase basis. 

In Section 61.54, the wastes are classified as 

Class A, B, or C, based on the concentrations of 

radionuclides in the wastes. Class A wastes have 

lower concentrations and may be disposed of 

without stabilization; however, Class A wastes 

buried with Class B and C wastes must be 

stabilized. Class B and C wastes must be 

structurally stabilized to ensure that the waste 

form does not degrade and does not promote 

slumping, collapse, or failure of the cap or cover 

of the near-surface disposal trench. In addition, 

the stability of the waste form limits exposure to 

inadvertent intruders. Class B and C low-level 

wastes from light water reactors (LWRs) may be 

solidified at LWR sites using cement to meet the 
2 

stability requirements of the NRC's “Technical 

Position on Waste Form,” Revision 1. 

Solidification of these wastes is intended to 

provide the structural stability needed to ensure 

that no collapse of the disposal trench occurs 

and that the release of radionuclides via leaching 

is minimized. 

Test procedures to demonstrate waste form 

stability and to quantify leachability for the 

low-level wastes from LWRs have been 

specified by the NRC in the Low-Level Waste 

Management Branch's “Technical Position on 

Waste Form,”1

 published in 1983, and in the 

“Technical Position on Waste Form,” Revision 

1,2

 published January 1991. Both publications of 

the Technical Position specify that small-scale 

waste-form specimens must be prepared and 

tested to certify the stability of the full-scale 

waste form. However, in the case of the Indian 

Point-2 full-system decontamination ionexchange resins, which were disposed of in high 

integrity containers (HIC) as unsolidified resin, 

leachability testing was performed directly on 

the resin wastes. Consequently, the full ANSI 

16.1 procedure was not used. 

The leachability of decontamination ionexchange resin wastes that contain chelating 

agents was evaluated because the leachability of 

these wastes is a function of a number of factors, 

including the chemical characteristics of the 

radionuclide being leached, resin waste 

chemistry, and chelating agent. Burial site 

hydrology and groundwater chemistry also 

influence leaching rates, as do cyclic wet and 

dry conditions. The complexity of the 

interactions that occur among radionuclides, 

chelating agents, groundwater, and soil 

introduces uncertainties into the models used to 

predict the impact of the decontamination resin 

wastes on the performance of shallow-land 

burial sites. Therefore, it is important to 

establish a database on the stability and 

leachability of decontamination resin wastes 

representative of wastes commonly generated at 

operating commercial power stations in 

leachants that are expected to be representative 

or more aggressive than the actual disposal site 

groundwaters. In this case, the simulated 

Hanford groundwater was chosen as a 

representative aggressive leachant, and the 

testing used was a modified immersion test 

rather than the ANSI 16.1 standard.3

 This is 

primarily due to the fact that the resins being 

were not solidified but were samples of discrete 

resin particles being tested with no surrounding 

barrier material. 

A number of studies have been performed 

that address the leachability of limited 

decontaminations followed by waste form 

solidification. Common to these studies is an 

emphasis on more realistic leaching situations 

involving local groundwater,4,5,6 seawater, and 

actual nuclear power plant resin wastes.5,6,7,8,9 In 

these studies, solidified ion-exchange resin 

specimens were subjected to leach tests 

following either the ISO 6961 leach-test 

procedure10 or the ANSI/ANS 16.1 leach-test 

procedure. Both of these methods are 

nonequilibrium tests in the respect that the 

solidified waste-form specimen is completely 

immersed over an extended period of time in a 

large volume of leachate that is periodically 

replaced with new leachant. More recent 

studies11–15 performed using various waste types 

have suggested that leachant effects, limited 

solubility, and breakdown of organoradionuclide complexes may limit the effects of 

chelating agents on releases from waste forms. 

As noted previously, the current study does not 

address solidified waste forms; however, it is 

expected that some of the same release 

phenomena identified for solidified wastes will 

be present for the resin wastes with no barrier 

material. 

Differences in leaching behavior have been 

observed in the studies that appear to be a result 

of changes in leachant composition. The slower 

release rates are thought to occur because of the 

much higher ionic strength of the seawater 

leachant and cement/waste-leachant reactions. 

However, studies at the Idaho National 

Engineering and Environmental Laboratory 

(INEEL) (Reference 9) indicate that the effect of 
3 

seawater on radionuclide releases from solidified 

decontamination ion-exchange resins varies and 

may be similar to groundwaters. 

The present study is a continuation of studies 

summarized in Reference 9 previously 

performed at the INEEL for the NRC that 

measured the compressive strength and 

leachability of cement-solidified evaporator 

concentrates and decontamination ion-exchange 

bead resin waste forms leached in deionized 

water, groundwaters, and seawater. The studies 

at the INEEL are the only continuing studies in 

which actual commercial nuclear power plant 

decontamination radioactive waste is being 

evaluated. 

The following sections present a 

nonproprietary description of the five-step 

AP/CAN-DEREM process, followed by a 

description of the experimental procedures used 

and a summary of the results of the 

measurements and implications relative to the 

quantities of radionuclides expected in resin 

wastes disposed of at waste sites. 
4 

FIVE-STEP AP/CAN-DEREM PROCESS 

This section describes the five-step AP/CANDEREM process used at Indian Point-2, 

including a summary description of the 

equipment and chemistry associated with the 

process. More detailed descriptions are 

presented in the proceedings of the 1995 EPRI 

Seminar on Decontamination.10 This description 

of the chemistry involved in the process is brief, 

as many aspects of the AP/CAN-DEREM 

process are proprietary. The five-step CANDEREM process comprises the following 

elements: (1) CAN-DEREM, (2) alkaline 

permanganate (AP) – Destruction, (3) CANDEREM, (4) alkaline permanganate (AP) 

destruction, (5) CAN-DEREM. The chemical 

objectives and the relative amounts of the 

chemical constituents used and the amount of 

cleanup resin used for each step are summarized 

below: 

• CAN-DEREM. The CAN-DEREM agent is a 

proprietary compound developed by Atomic 

Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). It is a 

combination of weak organic acids, and the 

process requires that about 1000 ppm of the 

CAN-DEREM agent be in the reactor coolant 

system for the process to be effective. 

Replenishment of a primary agent may be 

required during the process if the 

concentration of the agent falls below this 

level. It has been estimated that about 800 lb 

of CAN-DEREM agent would be required 

for a four-loop PWR, and about 200 lb of the 

agent replenished. 

As a combination of weak organic acids, the 

CAN-DEREM agent is removed on anion 

resin. The published rate of removal is 60 g 

of CAN-DEREM per liter of resin. In 

addition, a 1:6 ratio of cation resin is added 

as a final polishing agent for the solution. 

• AP-Destruction. The alkaline potassium 

permanganate (AP) step is employed to 

remove the protective chromium from the 

corrosion film; it renders the corrosion film 

susceptible to being attached by the CANDEREM agents. The maximum expected 

concentration is potassium permanganate 

(KMnO4). This reagent is reduced during the 

AP step and forms MnO2, a brown 

precipitate. Additional injections of the AP 

may be required. It is estimated for full 

system decontamination that about 1600 lb of 

resin may be required, considering initial 

injection and replenishments. In addition, to 

achieve the required pH = 10.5 for the AP 

step, about 2000 lb of NaOH may be required 

for full system decontamination. 

The AP step is followed by a destruction 

step, which reduces all the KMnO4 remaining 

to a water-soluble manganous ion (Mn+2) for 

removal. This destruction also reduces all the 

manganese dioxide to manganous ion, 

dissolving all the precipitate. Oxalic acid 

dihydrate is typically employed for this 

reduction/destruction process, since the 

reaction product of the oxalic acid is carbon 

dioxide, a gas. 

The above process is repeated as described 

for the five-step process. The cations from the 

reactor vessel walls (i.e., Fe+3, Ni+2, and Co+2) 

are removed with a strong acid resin and with a 

strong base resin during the process. Initial 

estimates of the resin loading are shown in 

Table1. 

Table 1. Estimates of resin loading during the 

five-step CAN-DEREM process (high boron 

content). 

Resin 

Chelates 

(%)a

Activity 

(%) 

Cation 4 75 

Mixed Bed 6 5 

AP Cation Resin 0 7 

AP Mixed Bed 3/11b

 0.3 13 

a. Does not equal 100%, due to the destruction of some 

chelate constituents. 

b. AP mixed bed 3/11 = deborating. 
5 

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES 

This section summarizes the experimental 

procedures used in the study. Many are specific 

to the characterization of commercial reactor 

waste streams. Limited information is available 

on the full-system decontamination process due 

to its proprietary nature. Plant staff collected the 

resin wastes at the Indian Point-2 following the 

AP/CAN-DEREM full-system decontamination 

of the Indian Point 2 reactor vessel in March 

1995. The samples of anion, cation, and mixedbed resin wastes collected were expected to be 

representative of the wastes produced from this 

process. Summarized below are the analytical 

methods used and the leach test procedure. 

Analytical Methods 

Analysis of the Indian Point resins to assess 

leachability requires knowledge of the initial 

inventories of the resin waste being tested and a 

knowledge of their concentrations in the 

leachates generated during leach testing. In order 

to obtain a basis for estimating the initial 

inventories of species of interest, samples of 

resin waste and leachate were analyzed using 

several different analytical techniques. Because 

of the differences in their physical 

characteristics and because the concentrations of 

radionuclides and metals in the leachates were 

expected to be as much as several orders of 

magnitude lower in the leachates compared to 

the resins, the methods required to prepare the 

resin and leachate samples for analysis were 

generally different. 

Prior to analysis, leachate solutions were 

partitioned into volumetric samples. The 

analytical methods used to determine 

concentrations of radionuclides, transition 

metals, and chelating agents in leachate samples 

included high-resolution gamma-ray 

spectrometry, liquid scintillation, gas 

proportional counting, inductively coupled 

plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, and ion 

chromatography. The detection of chelating 

agents in some leachate solutions required that 

the chelating agent be chemically separated from 

other components of the sample prior to ion 

chromatography analysis. 

The following sections describe the sample 

preparation and analysis methods used to 

analyze the resin waste and leachate samples 

obtained during the course of this study. 

Radionuclide Analysis 

Resin waste samples were analyzed for 

radionuclides specified in 10 CFR 61 (i.e., 14C, 

60Co, 63Ni, 90Sr, 99Tc, 129I, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239Pu, 

241Am, and 244Cm) and for other radionuclides 

using standard environmental analysis 

procedures. Concentrations of gamma-emitting 

radionuclides (e.g., 60Co, 137Cs, and other 

measurable gamma emitters) in each resin 

sample were measured by diluting an aliquot of 

the dissolved resin with water and analyzing this 

volumetric sample using gamma-spectrometric 

techniques. When resin waste-form samples 

were analyzed, a small sample of the solidified 

waste was analyzed directly at a distance of 10 

cm from the detector. The HPGe spectrometers 

used to analyze these samples were calibrated 

using reference sources traceable to the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology. 

Concentrations of beta emitters (e.g., 55Fe, 

63Ni, 90Sr, 99Tc, and 241Pu) in the resin wastes 

were determined using radiochemical separation 

techniques followed by liquid scintillation or gas 

proportional counting. In the case of 14C, the 

solid sample is carefully dissolved in an alkaline 

environment, and the dissolved sample aliquot 

undergoes oxidation, separation, collection as 

carbon dioxide, and analysis via liquid 

scintillation counting. In the case of 129I, the 

sample is fused with sodium hydroxide and 

extracted using carbon tetrachloride. The 129I is 

quantified using low-energy photon 

spectrometry. 

The procedure used to analyze the leachates 

for 238Pu, 239Pu, 241Am, and 244Cm was the same 

as that used for the resins in that a fusion and the 

following analysis program were the same for 

both the resin wastes samples and the leachates. 

The resin and waste-form samples analyzed for 

concentrations of transuranic isotopes were 

wet-ashed using nitric, sulfuric, and perchloric 

acids. This procedure was followed by a fusion 
6 

to dissolve any remaining undissolved 

compounds. The fusion was then dissolved in 

HCl, followed by a precipitation and 

redissolution for clean up purposes. The final 

precipitate was dissolved in acid, and then the 

solution was oxidized to adjust the oxidation 

state of plutonium. Americium and curium were 

precipitated as fluorides and, following 

filtration, this precipitate was mounted for 

analysis using a high-resolution alpha 

spectrometer. The filtrate was reduced, and 

plutonium was precipitated as plutonium 

fluoride. The plutonium fraction was also 

analyzed using a high-resolution alpha 

spectrometer. 

Samples of the resin were also forwarded to 

the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for 

radiochemical analysis of a suite of long-lived 

radionuclides. These radionuclides included 

10Be, 36Cl, 93mNb, 94Nb, and 126Sn. These 

radionuclides are not required for measurement 

by 10 CFR Part 61, but they may be present in 

significant quantities in some types of low-level 

radioactive waste. Because the environmental 

behavior and fate of these radionuclides are not 

well understood, and because several of them 

may be quite mobile in the environs, it was felt 

important to include these radionuclides in the 

group of 10 CFR Part 61 radionuclides 

previously measured. 

The methods used for the analysis of the 

long-lived radionuclides present in the spent ion 

exchange resins are provided in more detail in 

NUREG/CR-6567.11 The following summarizes 

the analysis methods used for these long-lived 

radionuclides. 

Beryllium-10 

Beryllium-10 is removed from the acid leach 

of resins and dissolution of metals by 

precipitating with NH4OH, dissolving the 

precipitate in 6 M HCl and passing the solution 

through an anion column, which removes most 

of the transition metals. Beryllium-10 is 

reprecipitated with NH4OH and the precipitate 

dissolved in 0.1 M HCl. Ultima Gold scintillator 

is added and the 10Be is measured in a Quantulus 

beta spectrometer. Yields are determined by 7

Be 

tracer. 

Chlorine-36 

Chlorine-36 is separated from HCl leach of 

the resin and the metal dissolution by adjusting 

the solution to 1 M HCl and passing it through a 

cation resin column. Mercurous nitrate is added 

to the effluent of the column and Hg2Cl2 is 

precipitated. The precipitate is washed, 

centrifuged, slurried with water, and transferred 

to a liquid scintillation vial. The slurry is 

suspended in Insta-Gel scintillation cocktail and 

the 36Cl beta measured in a Quantulus liquid 

scintillation beta spectrometer. Yields are 

determined using 38Cl tracer. 

Niobium-93m and Niobium-94 

Niobium-95 tracer, Ni, Sr, Fe, Co, Sb, and 

Nb carriers are added to an aliquot of acid 

leachate or dissolution sample. The sample is 

then made basic with carbonate-free sodium 

hydroxide, and the resulting precipitate is 

centrifuged. The precipitate is dissolved in 

hydrofluoric acid, and Co and Sb carriers are 

again added. The sample is transferred to a 

beaker containing concentrated nitric acid and 

heated with stirring until the volume of acid is 

reduced to half. The sample is cooled and 

transferred to a centrifuge tube and the resulting 

precipitate centrifuged. The precipitate is 

washed three times with water and then 

redissolved in HF. The sample is again 

transferred to a beaker containing concentrated 

nitric acid and heated with stirring until the 

volume is reduced to half. The precipitate is then 

washed twice with water and transferred to a 2-

inch diameter planchet and dried. The planchets 

are covered with two layers of thin Mylar plastic 

sheets and counted on the Low Energy Photon 

Spectrometer (LEPS) detector to determine the 

93mNb. The samples are then counted on the 

gamma detector for 1000 minutes to determine 

the 94Nb and the 95Nb yield tracer. 

Tin-126 

An aliquot of each sample is placed in a 

beaker along with the following hold back 

carriers: Sn (II), Co, Ni, Nb and Cs. Then, 117mSn 

tracer and 2-3 mL of concentrated HCl are 

added, and the samples are evaporated to 

dryness. Sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide are 
7 

added, and the samples are taken to fumes. The 

samples are cooled, water is added, and the 

samples are chilled in an ice bath. Potassium 

iodide is then added to each sample, and the tin 

is extracted twice into toluene. The tin is then 

back-extracted into a weak sulfuric acid 

solution, neutralized with sodium hydroxide, and 

precipitated as the sulfide using thioacetamide. 

The sulfide precipitate is destroyed with 

concentrated nitric acid, which results in tin 

oxide being formed. This oxide is washed with 

hot water, centrifuged, and slurried with a small 

amount of water. The samples are first counted 

on an intrinsic germanium gamma detector to 

determine the yield of the 117mSn, a liquid 

scintillation cocktail is then added, and the 

samples are counted in the Quantulus liquid 

scintillation counter to determine the 126Sn 

content.

Gamma-ray-emitting radionuclides in the 

leachate samples (e.g., 54Mn, 60Co, and 137Cs) 

were analyzed using gamma-ray spectrometry. 

Concentrations of 14C, 55Fe, 63Ni, 99Tc, 129I, and 

90Sr in leachate samples were determined by first 

using radiochemical techniques to selectively 

extract these radionuclides, then to concentrate 

them. Carriers and tracers were added to 

volumetric samples of the leachates, and the 

samples were then evaporated to dryness. The 

samples were then dissolved in an HCl solution. 

The samples were then processed and analyzed 

using the same procedures used for the 

resin-waste samples. 

Chelating Agent Analysis 

The waste-form specimens and leachates 

were analyzed for EDTA, oxalic acid, and 

potassium permanganate. A Dionex ion 

chromatograph equipped with an ion-exchange 

column was employed. All the various EDTAmetal complexes in the leachates were converted 

to one species using either one of two transition 

metals: Ni or Cu. The addition of the strong 

metal (either Ni or Cu) to the leachate converted 

all the EDTA-metal complexes to one species 

that eluted at one time. By systematic study with 

known reagents, we determined that we could 

quantify the total EDTA in the leachates by 

forming either the strong complex with Ni or 

Cu. Thus, the process was to add an excess of 

Ni or Cu to the leachates to convert all the 

EDTA species into the Me-EDTA2- species, 

where Me is either Ni2+ or Cu2+. 

Leach-Test Method 

A batch leach test method was used to 

measure the release of radionuclides, transition 

metals, and chelating agents from the 

decontamination resin wastes. As part of this 

process, the Indian Point resins were initially 

characterized for radionuclide content, some 

metals, and expected chelating agents. Each 

resin waste was then leached in a simulated 

Hanford groundwater for periods of 37 and 93 

days. The leach testing was performed at 

ambient temperatures, and the pH was measured 

at the beginning and end of the period. The 

weight of the resin leached was approximately 

25 g; the volume of leachant was about 250 ml. 

The resins were leached in glass beakers with 

covers to minimize evaporation during the leach 

test, but the containers were not sealed. 

Table 2 shows the composition of the 

leachant. Following the leach test, the leachates 

were analyzed for radionuclide content, 

chelating agents, and ions in solution that may 

contribute to mobility. 

The method used to analyze the data is to 

determine the quantity of radionuclides, metals, 

and chelating agent in each resin waste sample 

and in each leachate to determine the 

quantitative release rates in terms of fraction per 

year and pCi/year.

Table 2. Simulated Hanford groundwater 

formulation (pH=8.9). 

Constituent 

Concentration 

(g/L) 

Ions in 

solution 

CaCO3 2.624 Ca+ CO3

-

HNO3 0.002 H+ NO3

-

KCl 0.269 K+

 ClMgCl2

.

6H2O 0.813 Mg+ ClMgCO3 0.086 Mg+

 CO3

-

Na2SiO3

.

9H2O 2.967 SiO3+ 

H2SO4 1.647 H+

 SO4

-2
8 

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS 

Experimental results from the Indian Point-2 

wastes can be divided into the radionuclide 

analysis of the resin and leachates and the 

chemical analysis of the resins and leachates, 

including the chelating agents. In this study, 

waste stream samples were obtained to 

determine the inventories of radionuclides and 

chelating agents that would be leached from the 

waste resins being tested. The radionuclide 

concentrations and release rates are summarized 

in the following sections, followed by a 

summary of the organic and inorganic chemical 

contents of the resins. 

Resin Radionuclide Inventories 

Table 3 lists the concentrations of 

radionuclides present in the Indian Point 2 

wastes. In Table 3, the primary 

decontamination-produced radionuclides are 

60Co, 59,63Ni, 54Mn, and 65Zn. Greater than 90% 

of the activity present is 60Co, with most activity 

on the cation resin, which is expected to collect 

the metal wastes from the CAN-DEREM 

process. The anion and deborating resins have 

lesser concentrations of activity, with the 

deborating resin containing the least. 

The results indicate the presence of a number 

of fission products: 137Cs, 99Tc, 152,154Eu, and 

90Sr. Some of these radionuclides (i.e., 137Cs, 

99Tc) are expected to be relatively mobile and 

would be expected to be found in the reactor 

coolant system; however, the 152,154Eu is less 

mobile and is generally found with fuel material. 

No 235U was found in the samples; however, 

relatively large amounts of 239Pu (3.12 E+3 

pCi/g) were found on the cation resin, with 

lesser amounts on the other resins. Some fission 

of this 239Pu may have contributed to the 

presence of the relatively insoluble fission 

products (e.g., 152,154Eu). 

Several transuranic radionuclides, including 

239Pu, 241Am, 242,244Cm , 241Pu, and 238Pu, were 

found in the resins. The highest radionuclide 

concentration was for the 241Pu, at 1.00E+5 

pCi/g, in the cation resin. The radionuclide 

concentrations for the transuranics are 1–2 

orders of magnitude higher than those found in 

previous decontamination ion-exchange resins 

analyzed as part of this project and summarized 

in NUREG/CR 6201. 

The results of the long-lived radionuclide 

analyses of the Indian Point-Unit 2 spent ion 

exchange resins are listed in Table 3. The longlived neutron activation products 10Be, 36Cl, 

93mNb, 94Nb, and 126Sn were measured in the 

anion resin and a composite of the cation and 

deborating resins (the least radioactive samples). 

Since the enactment of 10 CFR Part 61, other 

long-lived radionuclides have been identified 

(e.g., 10Be, 36Cl, 93mNb, and 121mSn) that are not 

routinely measured, but which potentially may 

be of concern in certain types of LLW.11 These 

radionuclides are primarily associated with 

neutron-activated metal wastes (e.g., spent 

control rod assemblies and reactor internal 

components) and other types of LLW (e.g., 

spent ion exchange cleanup resins) being 

generated by the nuclear power industry for 

disposal at shallow-land LLW burial grounds. 

Beryllium-10 was measured in the “hot” 

resin samples, but was not detected in the 

“composite” resin sample. Beryllium-10 is of 

special interest because of its potential to be 

produced in relatively large quantities in nuclear 

power station LLW, originating in spent BWR 

and PWR control rods and in spent primary 

coolant demineralization resins. The 10Be is 

produced by neutron activation of 10B present as 

neutron absorbing materials, boron carbide and 

borosilicate glass in control rods, and as soluble 

borate added to PWR reactor coolant. The 

extremely long half-life of 10Be (1.6E6 years), 

together with a relatively high ingestion dose 

conversion factor and a relatively low Kd value 

for adsorption onto sandy types of soil, create 

the potential for long-term migration and offsite 

radiation exposure of this radionuclide from 

LLW disposal facilities 

Chlorine-36 was nondetectible in both resin 

samples. Chlorine-36 is of potential interest 

because its very long half-life (3.01E5 years), 

relatively high ingestion dose conversion factor, 

and high environmental mobility combine to 
9 

Table 3. Resin waste inventories. 

(pCi/g on 1/3/2000) 

Radionuclide 

Cation 

Resin Unc. (+) 

Anion 

Resin Unc. (+) 

Deborating 

Resin Unc. (+) 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 6.75E+03 2.33E+02 8.73E+01 4.52E+00 1.08E+00 6.40E-01 242Cm 3.61E+01 9.82E+00 < 8.29E+00 < 9.20E-01 244Cm 2.12E+03 9.66E+01 2.71E+01 2.61E+00 < 1.65E+00 238Pu 3.71E+03 1.16E+02 4.84E+01 2.10E+00 < 2.10E+00 

239/240Pu 3.12E+03 9.87E+01 3.76E+01 1.79E+00 < 1.18E+00 

233,234U 1.36E+02 1.44E+01 1.84E+01 1.43E+00 9.58E+00 1.01E+00 235U <a

 1.43E+01 < 1.06E+00 < 9.64E-01 238U < 1.43E+01 < 1.48E+00 < 9.60E-01 

Gamma Spectrometry 

108mAg < 3.47E+04 < 5.86E+02 < 1.35E+02 110mAg < 2.61E+04 < 1.00E+03 < 1.06E+02 214Bi < 4.87E+04 < 1.78E+03 5.66E+02 9.04E+01 144Ce 9.63E+04 3.82E+04 < 1.55E+04 < 7.11E+02 58Co < 3.98E+04 < 1.03E+03 < 1.44E+02 

60Co 7.50E+07 1.16E+06 5.42E+05 6.40E+03 1.01E+03 7.83E+01 

134Cs < 2.29E+04 < 1.05E+03 < 1.82E+02 137Cs < 2.91E+04 < 8.82E+02 2.93E+02 4.51E+01 152Eu 4.42E+04 1.51E+04 < 9.12E+02 < 2.89E+02 154Eu 3.27E+04 9.85E+03 < 5.91E+02 < 1.86E+02 155Eu < 2.54E+04 < 6.94E+02 < 1.88E+02 54Mn 1.02E+05 1.54E+04 < 1.08E+03 < 1.47E+02 

94Nb < 2.84E+02 8.26E-03 3.22E-04 < 1.24E-04 

95Nb < 3.65E+04 < 9.50E+02 < 1.34E+02 

239Np < 3.44E+04 < 8.41E+02 < 2.38E+02 214Pb < 8.60E+04 < 1.26E+03 < 5.77E+02 226Ra < 3.76E+05 < 9.13E+03 < 2.94E+03 103Ru < 1.52E+04 < 6.20E+03 < 7.35E+01 106Ru < 2.35E+05 < 7.33E+03 < 9.91E+02 125Sb < 2.61E+04 1.59E+05 1.32E+04 5.48E+03 2.91E+02 235U < 2.30E+04 < 5.58E+02 < 1.79E+02 65Zn 4.25E+05 2.97E+04 5.70E+03 1.10E+03 < 4.01E+02 

95Zr < 6.48E+04 < 1.69E+03 < 2.22E+02 

Other radionuclides 

129I < 1.25E+02 < 1.07E+01 < 1.34E+01 59Ni 1.12E+04 7.02E+02 1.36E+04 7.12E+02 < 9.41E+01 

14C 1.73E+03 5.59E+01 1.32E+03 3.93E+01 < 2.51E+01 

63Ni 2.19E+06 1.81E+05 3.03E+06 2.50E+05 3.35E+03 2.79E+02 

241Pu 1.00E+05 2.42E+03 1.63E+03 3.67E+01 < 1.36E+02 90Sr 4.35E+03 2.94E+02 3.78E+01 3.58E+00 < 2.47E+01 

99Tc 5.22E+02 2.17E+01 1.22E+02 4.19E+00 < 

10Be 4.31E+01 1.6E0 < 1.37E0 36Cl < 2.83E+01 < 6.77E0 93mNb 5.90E+02 5.8E+01 1.537E+04 8.0E+04 126Sn < 6.49E+01 < 7.07E0 

Weight(g) 1 2.78E+01 2.09E+01 2.24E+01 

Leach Volume 1 (ml) 264.10 252.90 259.10 

Leach Volume 2 (ml) 256.5 248.1 250.2 

RadField(mRem/hr) 1.60E+02 1.60E+01 5.00E-01 

a. Lower limit of detection is defined as a “<”
10 

create the potential for long-term migration from 

a LLW disposal facility. Fortunately, the 

concentrations of 36Cl in LLW from commercial 

nuclear power stations are quite low. Chlorine36 is produced almost exclusively in nuclear 

power plants by neutron activation of soluble 

chloride impurities present in the reactor coolant 

water and is then concentrated on primary 

demineralization resins used for reactor coolant 

cleanup. Because chloride ions accelerate the 

corrosion of stainless steel in the reactor primary 

loop, great care is taken to minimize the chloride 

concentrations in reactor coolant water, and 

typical concentrations are in the low ppb range. 

This is sufficient to produce about 0.0001 to 

0.002 uCi/g of 36Cl in spent primary resins. The 

Indian Point-Unit 2 resins were below these 

concentrations and indicate good control of 

chloride concentrations at this nuclear power 

station. 

Tin-126 was nondetectible in both resin 

samples. Tin-126 is a fission product and is 

added to reactor coolant water in trace amounts 

from leaking fuel pins. The nondetectible 

quantities of this radionuclide in the spent ion 

exchange resin indicates that the fuel integrity at 

Indian Point-Unit 2 was quite good. 

Niobium-93m was detected in both resin 

samples. It was surprising to find higher 

concentrations of 93mNb in the “composite” resin 

sample compared to the “hot” resin sample. The 

reason for this observation is not known. 

Niobium-93m is produced by the reaction 93Nb 

(n, n’) 93mNb, by beta decay of 93Zr, and by the 

electron capture decay of 93Mo. It is, therefore, 

produced by neutron activation of Nb, Zr, and 

Mo. Niobium is present as an impurity in 

stainless steel and some Inconel types at 

concentrations of 5 to 400 ppm, and is present as 

an additive in some types of Inconel at 10,000 to 

50,000 ppm. Niobium-93m has a half-life of 

16.1 years and decays with the emission of 16.5 

keV Nb x-rays and a 30 keV gamma-ray. 

Because two of the 93mNb parents, 93Mo and 

93Zr, have extremely long half-lives, the 93mNb 

will remain in some types of neutron-activated 

metal wastes and spent ion exchange resins for 

thousands of years. 

Leachate Radionuclide 

Inventories 

Table 4 lists the leachate analysis results for 

the 37- and 93-day leach intervals. The highest 

concentration of radionuclides was, again, in the 

anion sample, with the same radionuclides 

generally detectable in all cases. However, the 

uranium isotopes, which were not detectable in 

the resins are detectable in the leachates. This 

suggests that due to the high activity associated 

with the resins, dilution and potential 

interferences may have made detecting these 

radionuclides difficult in the resins. 

Fractional Release Rates 

This section summarizes the fractional 

release rates, for the radionuclides measured in 

the resins. Table 5 lists the fractional release 

rates for the radionuclides measured. The 

fractional release rates for the decontamination 

radionuclides 60Co, 59,63Ni, 54Mn, and 65Zn range 

from 3E-3 to 1E-1, or 0.3–10%. This is a fairly 

high release for these radionuclides and is 

considerably higher than those expected from 

cement-solidified waste forms. Typically, the 

release rates from the anion and deborating 

resins are higher than those from the cation 

resin, which may be considered more likely, as 

the decontamination radionuclides are cations. 

There appears to be little difference in the 

release over 37 and 93 days, which suggests that 

most of the radioactive materials release may 

occur relatively early in the leach period, with 

little additional release over the longer term. 

These data suggest that most of the inventory is 

retained in the resin and is not subject to 

significant release until the resin begins to age 

and deteriorate, which generally occurs 

relatively rapidly. 

The fractional release rates for the fission 

product radionuclides are generally similar to 

those for the cations, except for the 137Cs, where 

essentially all of this radionuclide was released 

from the deborating resin. Also, about 20% of 

the 125Sb was released from the deborating resin. 

The release of most fission product 
11 

Table 4. Resin leach results for 37 and 93 days. (pCi/L on 3/3/2000) 

Cation resin 

pH not measured 

Interval = 37 days 

Cation resin 

pH 1.93 

Interval = 93 days 

Anion resin 

pH 7.49 

Interval = 37 days 

Anion resin 

pH–Not measured 

Interval = 93 days 

Deborating resin 

pH–9.39 

Interval = 37 days 

Nuclide pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) 

241Am 1.92E+01 7.13E+00 1.57E+01 7.21E+00 3.29E+01 9.87E+00 1.59E+01 6.89E+00 < 2.42E+00 242Cm < 1.85E+00 < 1.97E+00 < 1.87E+00 < 3.36E+00 < 1.76E+00 244Cm 4.52E+00 3.64E+00 4.42E+00 3.92E+00 8.82E+00 5.07E+00 < 1.68E+00 < 2.51E+00 238Pu 9.30E+00 3.06E+00 9.71E+00 3.26E+00 < 4.18E+00 1.01E+01 3.30E+00 < 4.52E+00 239/240Pu 8.18E+00 2.66E+00 9.43E+00 2.89E+00 < 2.56E+00 9.70E+00 2.60E+00 3.31E+00 1.86E+00 233,234U 6.73E+01 9.60E+00 4.67E+01 6.78E+00 2.75E+01 6.45E+00 5.68E+00 2.59E+00 1.02E+01 2.66E+00 235U 3.92E+00 2.23E+00 3.89E+00 1.85E+00 3.47E+00 2.35E+00 < 1.86E+00 < 1.57E+00 238U 2.07E+00 1.79E+00 < 1.82E+00 2.41E+00 2.21E+00 < 1.86E+00 < 1.75E+00 

Gamma Spectrometry 

108mAg < 1.97E+04 < 2.24E+04 < 1.34E+03 < 2.34E+03 < 1.67E+02 110mAg < 1.79E+04 < 1.93E+04 < 1.21E+03 < 2.02E+03 < 1.36E+03 214Bi 144Ce < 6.08E+04 < 5.31E+04 < 3.58E+03 < 8.63E+03 < 2.03E+03 58Co < 2.42E+04 < 2.75E+04 < 1.78E+03 < 2.89E+03 < 2.23E+02 60Co 3.14E+07 9.80E+05 2.02E+07 4.93E+05 3.01E+06 7.46E+04 7.40E+05 1.78E+04 3.79E+03 3.45E+02 134Cs < 1.48E+04 < 1.66E+04 2.89E+04 1.92E+03 1.76E+04 2.05E+03 1.98E+03 2.13E+02 137Cs 1.51E+04 1.08E+04 2.04E+04 1.62E+04 3.31E+03 3.30E+02 < 2.18E+03 3.71E+04 1.19E+03 152Eu < 4.18E+04 < 3.36E+04 < 3.35E+03 < 4.56E+03 < 7.61E+02 154Eu < 3.77E+04 < 3.76E+04 < 3.05E+03 < 4.05E+03 < 4.98E+02 155Eu < 2.03E+04 < 2.28E+04 1.14E+03 8.26E+02 < 3.10E+03 < 7.49E+02 54Mn 1.60E+04 1.07E+04 < 2.70E+04 < 1.66E+03 < 2.69E+03 < 1.95E+02 94Nb 95Nb 239Np 214Pb 226Ra < 2.68E+04 < 2.71E+04 < 1.76E+03 < 3.45E+03 < 9.15E+02 
Table 4. (continued). 

12 

Cation resin 

pH not measured 

Interval = 37 days 

Cation resin 

pH 1.93 

Interval = 93 days 

Anion resin 

pH 7.49 

Interval = 37 days 

Anion resin 

pH–Not measured 

Interval = 93 days 

Deborating resin 

pH–9.39 

Interval = 37 days 

Nuclide pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) pCi/L Unc. (+) 

103Ru < 1.75E+04 < 1.92E+4 1.14E+03 < 2.08E+03 < 4.24E+02 106Ru 1.83E+05 1.31E+05 < 1.72E+05 1.08E+04 < 1.82E+04 < 2.79E+03 125Sb < 3.75E+04 < 4.00E+04 3.15E+05 4.02E+04 6.91E+04 5.94E+03 9.17E+04 1.19E+04 235U < 6.19E+04 < 5.32E+04 < 3.60E+03 < 8.75E+03 < 2.07E+03 65Zn 3.05E+05 5.46E+04 2.49E+05 6.38E+04 2.74E+04 3.48E+03 1.68E+04 6.88E+03 < 5.10E+02 95Zr < 4.01E+04 < 4.56E+04 < 2.94E+03 < 4.77E+03 

Other radionuclides < 3.96E+02 

129I 59Ni 1.42E+04 2.04E+03 5.93E+03 7.22E+02 1.62E+05 2.21E+04 1.67E+04 2.22E+03 < 2.48E+02 14C 4.21E+03 2.08E+02 5.45E+03 2.28E+02 6.47E+03 2.43E+02 < 2.14E+02 2.59E+02 1.26E+02 63Ni 7.68E+05 1.25E+05 5.33E+05 8.73E+04 1.41E+07 2.31E+06 1.51E+06 2.47E+05 2.01E+03 3.62E+02 241Pu 5.44E+02 4.52E+01 B 3.91E+01 7.10E+02 5.21E+01 5.13E+02 4.18E+01 3.47E+01 3.71E+00 90Sr 5.72E+02 4.92E+01 2.65E+02 2.33E+01 < 1.24E+02 < 9.38E+01 1.58E+01 1.63E+00 99Tc 6.05E+01 7.16E+00 1.21E+02 1.41E+01 2.53E+02 2.81E+01 < 1.21E+02 2.49E+01 2.94E+00 
13 

Table 5. Fractional release rates. 

Radionuclide 

Cation 

Resin 

37 days 

Cation 

Resin 

93 days 

Anion 

Resin 

37 days 

Anion 

Resin 

93 days 

Deborating 

Resin 

37 days 

Deborating

Resin 

93 days 

 

Fraction 

Release 

Fraction 

Release 

Fraction

Release 

Fraction

Release 

Fraction 

Release 

Fraction 

Release 

Alpha Spectrometry 241Am 2.67E-05 2.60E-05 4.57E-03 1.74E-03 < 2.59E-02 < 1.76E-02 

242Cm < a 4.82E-04 < 6.11E-04 < 2.73E-03 < 3.87E-03 < 2.21E-02 < 2.28E-02 244Cm 2.00E-05 2.33E-05 3.94E-03 < 5.91E-04 < 1.76E-02 < 1.15E-02 

238Pu 2.36E-05 2.93E-05 < 1.05E-03 1.99E-03 < 2.49E-02 < 2.24E-02 

239/240Pu 2.47E-05 3.38E-05 < 8.25E-04 2.46E-03 3.25E-02 < 2.29E-02 

233,234U 4.65E-03 3.84E-03 1.81E-02 2.94E-03 1.23E-02 2.28E-02 235U >b

 2.58E-03 > 3.04E-03 > 3.97E-02 < 1.67E-02 < 1.89E-02 1.59E-02 

238U > 1.36E-03 < 1.42E-03 > 1.97E-02 < 1.20E-02 < 2.11E-02 1.60E-02 

Gamma Spectrometry 108mAg < 5.34E-03 < 7.22E-03 < 2.77E-02 < 3.81E-02 < 1.43E-02 < 2.43E-02 110mAg < 6.45E-03 < 8.28E-03 < 1.47E-02 < 1.93E-02 < 1.49E-01 < 2.26E-01 144Ce < 5.94E-03 < 6.17E-03 < 2.80E-03 < 5.31E-03 < 3.31E-02 < 4.86E-02 

58Co < 5.72E-03 < 7.73E-03 < 2.09E-02 < 2.68E-02 < 1.79E-02 < 2.56E-02 

60Co 3.94E-03 3.01E-03 6.73E-02 1.30E-02 4.34E-02 3.27E-02 

134Cs < 6.08E-03 < 8.11E-03 > 3.34E-01 > 1.60E-01 1.26E-01 1.42E+00b

137Cs 4.88E-03 > 7.85E-03 > 4.55E-02 < 2.36E-02 1.47E+00b

 1.61E+00b

152Eu < 8.89E-03 < 8.51E-03 < 4.45E-02 < 4.77E-02 < 3.05E-02 < 4.30E-02 

154Eu < 1.08E-02 < 1.29E-02 < 6.25E-02 < 6.54E-02 < 3.10E-02 < 4.56E-02 

155Eu < 7.51E-03 < 1.00E-02 > 1.99E-02 < 4.26E-02 < 4.61E-02 < 7.06E-02 

54Mn 1.47E-03 < 2.96E-03 < 1.86E-02 < 2.38E-02 < 1.54E-02 < 2.26E-02 

226Ra < 6.70E-04 < 8.07E-04 < 2.34E-03 < 3.60E-03 < 3.60E-03 < 5.03E-03 

103Ru < 1.08E-02 < 1.41E-02 > 2.23E-03 < 3.20E-03 < 6.68E-02 < 1.08E-01 

106Ru < 7.32E-03 < 8.19E-03 > 1.79E-02 < 2.37E-02 < 3.26E-02 < 4.54E-02 

125Sb < 1.35E-02 < 1.72E-02 2.40E-02 4.15E-03 1.94E-01 1.76E-01 

235U < 2.53E-02 < 2.59E-02 < 7.82E-02 < 1.50E-01 < 1.34E-01 < 1.89E-01 65Zn 6.75E-03 6.56E-03 5.83E-02 2.81E-02 < 1.47E-02 < 1.76E-02 

95Zr < 5.82E-03 < 7.88E-03 < 2.11E-02 < 2.69E-02 < 2.54E-02 

Other radionuclides 129I 59Ni 1.19E-02 5.93E-03 1.44E-01 1.17E-02 < 3.05E-02 < 4.10E-02 

14C 2.29E-02 3.53E-02 5.94E-02 < 1.55E-03 1.19E-01 8.60E-02 

63Ni 3.30E-03 2.72E-03 5.64E-02 4.75E-03 6.95E-03 7.16E-03 

241Pu 5.11E-05 5.28E-03 3.00E-03 2.95E-03 2.01E-02 

90Sr 1.24E-03 6.82E-04 < 3.98E-02 < 2.37E-02 7.41E-03 2.20E-01 

99Tc 1.09E-03 2.59E-03 2.51E-02 < 9.46E-03 

a. Lower limit of detection is defined as a “<” 

b. Resin concentration is below the Minimum Detectable Activity. Consequently if calculating a release rate with a measurable leach 

concentration the fractional release becomes greater than the listed value 

c. Possible contamination of sample
14 

radionuclides is typically on the order of 1% 

over the period. 

The transuranic radionuclides have fractional 

release rates that are typically similar to those 

for the decontamination radionuclides, with 

releases on the order of 1%, and there appears to 

be little difference in the release over 37 and 93 

days, which suggests that most of the release 

occurs relatively early in the leach period. As 

noted previously, the radionuclide concentrations for the transuranics are 1–2 orders of 

magnitude higher than those found in previous 

decontamination ion-exchange resins analyzed 

as part of this project and summarized in 

NUREG/CR 6201. The release rates for these 

radionuclides are generally much lower than the 

fractional release for fission products and 

neutron activation products. 

Comparisons with the results of other INEEL 

studies summarized in NUREG/CR 6201, would 

suggest that the fractional release rates of 

uranium and the transuranics are considerably 

higher than those that would be expected. No 

external references have been identified that 

would indicate that these release rates are 

expected for resin wastes. 

Annual Release Rates 

Tables 6 and 7 list the annual release rates 

from the resin wastes in pCi/yr/g and pCi/yr of 

resin. In both cases, the release rates are highest 

for the decontamination radionuclides (i.e., 60Co, 

59,63Ni, 54Mn, and 65Zn) with 60Co the highest at 

about 2.87 E+6 uCi/yr/g or 1.03E+5 pCi/yr for 

the cation resin. This is a relatively significant 

release rate, although the fractional release is 

only about 0.4%. The release of the transuranics 

and fission products are generally similar, with 

releases on the order of 10E-3 to 10E-2 pCi/yr/g. 

These releases seem higher than expected. 

Organic and Inorganic Leachate 

Composition 

This section presents the results of the 

chelating agent analysis of the leachates, along 

with the results of analyses of the leachate 

elemental analysis results. Table 8 shows the 

ICP data for the water leachates from contacting 

the spent resins at a solid-resin-to-simulatedgroundwater ratio of about 1:10 [g:mL]. The 

common cations come from both the simulated 

groundwater and from reagents used to make up 

the various lixiviants pumped into the reactor 

piping system, such as K from the alkaline 

permanganate, sodium from pH adjustment, and 

Mn from the permanganate. The transition 

metals (Cr, Ni, Fe) are corrosion products that 

dissolve out of the cooling system during the 

decontamination process. As shown in Table 8, 

cation resin leachate contains significantly 

higher concentrations of most of the transition 

metals associated with corrosion products. 

Despite containing much higher radionuclide 

activities, the leachate from the deborating resin 

does not contain the highest concentrations of 

corrosion product-derived transition metals. In 

general, the leachates from anion resin contain 

the lowest concentrations of transition metals. 

Table 9 shows the leachate inorganic anion 

compositions, as determined by ion 

chromatography. The leachates for anion resin 

are dominated by bicarbonate, likely from 

dissolution of carbon dioxide into the AP fluid 

during the destruction of oxalic acid used to 

reduce the MnO2 formed during the 

permanganate oxidation step. The highly acidic 

leachate from contact of simulated groundwater 

with deborating resin is dominated by sulfate 

and chloride, but the source is not known. 

Table 10 lists the data for organic ligands in 

the leachates, as measured by ion chromatography. We were surprised that none of the 

leachates showed evidence of citric acid, which 

is supposed to be present in most CAN-DEREM 

recipes along with EDTA. We also did not find 

any evidence of the residual oxalic acid used to 

dissolve the MnO2 solids that form when the 

permanganate is used up to oxidize the Cr(III) 

oxide films in the pipes. According to the 

Westinghouse proprietary report, most of the 

oxalic acid is decomposed to carbon dioxide 

during the dissolution of the MnO2. The small 

concentrations of formic acid in the deborating 

spent resin is likely degradation products of the 

oxalic acid that have not been converted to 

carbon dioxide. Only the cation resin leachate 

contained measurable concentrations of EDTA. 

The concentration [70.1 mg/L] is equivalent to 

2.4 x 10-4 M. This value was confirmed within 

±20% by independent spiking of aliquots of this 

leachate with Ni2+ or Cu2+. The EDTA is 

expected to be the primary chelating agent 

present and appears to be relatively well 

destroyed during the CAN-DEREM process. 
15 

Table 6. pCi/yr/g release rates. 

Radionuclide 

Cation 

Resin 

37 days 

Cation 

Resin 

93 days 

Anion Resin

37 days 

Anion Resin

93 days 

Deborating 

Resin 

37 days 

Deborating 

Resin 

93 days 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 1.76E+00 6.80E-01 3.88E+00 5.92E-01 < 9.59E-02 < 7.35E-02 

242Cm < 1.69E-01 < 8.53E-02 < 2.20E-01 < 1.25E-01 < 4.52E-01 < 8.11E-02 

244Cm 4.13E-01 1.91E-01 1.04E+00 < 6.25E-02 < 2.14E-01 < 7.36E-02 

238Pu 8.51E-01 4.21E-01 < 4.93E-01 3.76E-01 < 1.31E-01 < 1.82E-01 

239/240Pu 7.48E-01 4.09E-01 < 3.02E-01 3.61E-01 1.41E+00 < 1.04E-01 

233,234U 6.16E+00 2.02E+00 3.24E+00 2.11E-01 1.78E-01 8.44E-01 

235U 3.59E-01 1.69E-01 4.09E-01 < 6.92E-02 < 1.24E-01 5.94E-02 

238U 1.89E-01 < 7.88E-02 2.84E-01 < 6.92E-02 5.94E-02 

Gamma Spectrometry 

108mAg < 1.80E+03 < 9.70E+02 < 1.58E+02 < 8.71E+01 < 6.20E+01 < 1.27E+01 

110mAg < 1.64E+03 < 8.36E+02 < 1.43E+02 < 7.52E+01 < 9.28E+02 

144Ce < 5.56E+03 < 2.30E+03 < 4.22E+02 < 3.21E+02 < 9.12E+01 < 1.34E+02 

58Co < 2.21E+03 < 1.19E+03 < 2.10E+02 < 1.08E+02 < 1.54E+05 < 1.43E+02 

60Co 2.87E+06 8.75E+05 3.55E+05 2.75E+04 1.48E+03 1.28E+02 

134Cs < 1.35E+03 < 7.19E+02 3.41E+03 > 6.55E+02 1.70E+02 9.99E+02 

137Cs 1.38E+03 8.84E+02 3.90E+02 < 8.11E+01 1.72E+02 1.83E+03 

152Eu < 3.82E+03 < 1.46E+03 < 3.95E+02 < 1.70E+02 < 1.56E+02 < 4..81E+02 

154Eu < 3.45E+03 < 1.63E+03 < 3.60E+02 < 1.51E+02 < 5.84E+01 < 3.28E+01 

155Eu < 1.86E+03 < 9.88E+02 1.34E+02 < 1.15E+02 < 8.51E+01 < 5.14E+01 

54Mn 1.46E+03 < 1.17E+03 < 1.96E+02 < 1.00E+02 < 1.28E+01 

226Ra < 2.45E+03 < 1.17E+03 < 2.08E+02 < 1.28E+02 < 5.84E+01 < 5.72E+01 

103Ru < 1.60E+03 < 8.32E+02 1.34E+02 < 7.74E+01 < 5.54E+02 < 3.06E+01 

106Ru 1.67E+04 < 7.45E+03 1.27E+03 < 6.77E+02 < 1.61E+04 < 1.74E+02 

125Sb < 3.43E+03 < 1.73E+03 3.71E+04 2.57E+03 1.85E+02 3.73E+03 

235U < 5.66E+03 < 2.30E+03 < 4.24E+02 < 3.26E+02 < 1.40E+03 < 1.30E+02 

65Zn 2.79E+04 1.08E+04 3.23E+03 6.25E+02 < 1.51E+02 < 2.73E+01 

95Zr < 3.67E+03 < 1.98E+03 < 3.47E+02 < 1.78E+02 < 2.18E+01 

Other radionuclides 

59Ni 1.30E+03 2.57E+02 1.91E+04 6.22E+02 < 3.32E+02 < 1.49E+01 

14C 3.85E+02 2.36E+02 7.63E+02 < 7.97E+00 7.23E+05 8.36E+00 

63Ni 7.03E+04 2.31E+04 1.66E+06 5.62E+04 3.64E+01 9.28E+01 

241Pu 4.98E+01 8.37E+01 1.91E+01 6.36E+00 1.06E+01 

90Sr 5.23E+01 1.15E+01 < 1.46E+01 < 3.49E+00 1.30E+01 2.11E+01 

99Tc 5.53E+00 5.24E+00 2.98E+01 < 4.50E+00 
16 

Table 7. pCi/yr release rates. 

Radionuclide 

Cation 

Resin 

37 days 

Cation Resin

93 days 

Anion Resin

37 days 

Anion Resin

93 days 

Deborating 

Resin 

37 days 

Deborating 

Resin 

93 days 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 6.34E-02 2.97E-02 1.86E-01 2.29E-02 < 4.29E-03 < 3.17E-03 

242Cm < 6.09E-03 < 3.72E-03 < 1.05E-02 < 4.84E-03 < 2.02E-02 < 3.50E-03 

244Cm 1.49E-02 8.33E-03 4.98E-02 < 2.42E-03 < 9.56E-03 < 3.18E-03 

238Pu 3.07E-02 1.84E-02 < 2.36E-02 1.46E-02 < 5.85E-03 < 7.85E-03 

239/240Pu 2.69E-02 1.78E-02 < 1.45E-02 1.40E-02 6.30E-02 < 4.49E-03 

233,234U 2.22E-01 8.81E-02 1.55E-01 8.18E-03 7.95E-03 3.64E-02 

235U 1.29E-02 7.37E-03 1.96E-02 < 2.68E-03 < 5.54E-03 2.56E-03 

238U 6.81E-03 < 3.44E-03 1.36E-02 < 2.68E-03 2.56E-03 

 

108mAg < 6.48E+01 < 4.23E+01 < 7.57E+00 < 3.38E+00 < 2.77E+00 < 5.48E-01 

110mAg < 5.91E+01 < 3.65E+01 < 6.85E+00 < 2.91E+00 < 4.01E+01 

144Ce < 2.00E+02 < 1.00E+02 < 2.02E+01 < 1.24E+01 < 4.08E+00 < 5.78E+00 

58Co < 7.96E+01 < 5.19E+01 < 1.01E+01 < 4.19E+00 < 6.88E+03 < 6.17E+00 

60Co 1.03E+05 3.82E+04 1.70E+04 1.07E+03 6.61E+01 5.52E+00 

134Cs < 4.86E+01 < 3.14E+01 1.63E+02 > 2.54E+01 7.60E+00 4.31E+01 

137Cs 4.97E+01 3.86E+01 1.87E+01 < 3.14E+00 7.69E+00 7.90E+01 

152Eu < 1.38E+02 < 6.37E+01 < 1.89E+01 < 6.59E+00 < 6.97E+00 < 

154Eu < 1.24E+02 < 7.11E+01 < 1.72E+01 < 5.85E+00 < 2.61E+00 < 1.42E+00 

155Eu < 6.70E+01 < 4.31E+01 6.42E+00 < 4.46E+00 < 3.80E+00 < 2.22E+00 

54Mn 5.26E+01 < 5.10E+01 < 9.39E+00 < 3.88E+00 < 5.52E-01 

226Ra < 8.83E+01 < 5.10E+01 < 9.97E+00 < 4.96E+00 < 2.61E+00 < 2.47E+00 

103Ru < 5.76E+01 < 3.63E+01 6.42E+00 < 3.00E+00 < 2.48E+01 < 1.32E+00 

106Ru 6.02E+02 < 3.25E+02 6.09E+01 < 2.62E+01 < 7.19E+02 < 7.51E+00 

125Sb < 1.24E+02 < 7.55E+01 1.78E+03 9.96E+01 8.27E+00 1.61E+02 

235U < 2.04E+02 < 1.00E+02 < 2.03E+01 < 1.26E+01 < 6.26E+01 < 5.61E+00 

65Zn 1.01E+03 4.71E+02 1.55E+02 2.42E+01 < 6.75E+00 < 1.18E+00 

95Zr < 1.32E+02 < 8.64E+01 < 1.66E+01 < 6.90E+00 < 9.41E-01 

 

59Ni 4.68E+01 1.12E+01 9.15E+02 2.41E+01 < 1.48E+01 < 6.43E-01 

14C 1.39E+01 1.03E+01 3.66E+01 < 3.09E-01 3.23E+04 3.61E-01 

63Ni 2.53E+03 1.01E+03 7.95E+04 2.18E+03 1.63E+00 4.01E+00 

241Pu 1.79E+00 4.01E+00 7.40E-01 2.84E-01 4.57E-01 

90Sr 1.88E+00 5.02E-01 < 7.00E-01 < 1.35E-01 5.81E-01 9.11E-01 

99Tc 1.99E-01 2.29E-01 1.43E+00 < 1.74E-01 
17 

Table 8. Leachate concentrations (ug/L) for cations and transition metals. 

Sample Anion Resin 

Deborating 

Resin Cation Resin Anion Resin 

Deborating 

resin Cation Resin 

Time (d) 37 37 37 93 93 93 

Element 

Al <250 239 —a —a <250 212 

Ba 120 120 — — 79 41 

Ca 11965 115860 — — 181547 17413 

Cd <250 <250 — — <250 <250 

Co 23 12 — — 15 27 

Cr 5796 12 — — 0 23 

Cu 76 0 — — 16 17 

Fe 549 53 — — 346 335 

K 27200 1413 — — 1354 1407 

Mg 4554 1390 — — 1115 541 

Mn 13507 <1125 — — <1125 3015 

Ni 7516 10 — — 16 510 

Pb 76 211 — — <250 109 

Sr 12 68 — — 90 28 

Zn 382 221 — — 198 359 

Na 119249 430998 — — 448721 92951 

Si 61394 2065 — — 5465 74379 

Zr 1 2 — — 69 62 

a. Column not analyzed because of insufficient sample. 

Table 9. Leachate concentrations (mg/L) for inorganic anions. 

Sample Anion Resin 

Deborating 

Resin Cation Resin Anion Resin 

Deborating 

resin Cation Resin 

Leach period 

(d) 

37 37 37 93 93 93 

Species 

Cl 167.5 5.0 —a —a 4.4 646 

SO4 55.5 1.72 — — <1 1760 

NO3 <1 <1 — — <1 3.57 

PO4 <1 <1 — — <1 0.3 

HCO3 <25 1500 — — 1750 <1 

a. Column not analyzed because of insufficient sample. 
18 

Table 10. Leachate concentrations (mg/L) for organic ligands. 

Sample Anion Resin 

Deborating 

Resin Cation Resin Anion Resin 

Deborating 

resin Cation Resin

Leach period 

(d) 

37 37 37 93 93 93 

Species 

Formate <1 9.51 —a —a 17.3 <1 

Oxalate <3 <3 — — <3 <3 

Citrate <1 <1 — — <1 <1 

EDTA 70.1 <1 — — <1 <1 

a. Column not analyzed because of insufficient sample. 
19 

SUMMARY 

This research evaluated the radionuclide 

inventories, leaching results, release fractions, 

and annual releases of the chelating agents and 

radionuclides from full-system decontamination 

when subjected to a simulated Hanford 

groundwater. Plant personnel collected untreated 

ion-exchange resin wastes from resin storage 

tanks following decontamination of the reactor 

vessel at Indian Point 2, March 1995. This was 

the first decontamination of an actual full reactor 

vessel from which the fuel had been removed. 

The resins analyzed were cation, anion, and 

what appears to be a deborating resin. 

Several transuranic radionuclides, including 

239Pu, 241Am, 242,244Cm, 241Pu, and 238Pu, were 

found in the resins. The highest radionuclide 

concentration was for the 241Pu, at 1.00E+5 

pCi/g, in the cation resin. The radionuclide 

concentrations for the transuranics are 1–2 

orders of magnitude higher than those found in 

previous decontamination ion-exchange resins 

analyzed as part of this project and summarized 

in NUREG/CR 6201. 

The long-lived neutron activation products 

10Be, 36Cl, 93mNb, 94Nb, and 126Sn were measured 

in the anion resin and a composite of the cation 

and deborating resins (the least radioactive 

samples). Since the enactment of 10 CFR Part 

61, other long-lived radionuclides have been 

identified (e.g., 10Be, 36Cl, 93mNb, and 121mSn) 

which are not routinely measured, but which 

potentially may be of concern in certain types of 

LLW.11 These radionuclides are primarily 

associated with neutron-activated metal wastes 

(e.g., spent control rod assemblies and reactor 

internal components) and other types of LLW 

(e.g., spent ion exchange cleanup resins) being 

generated by the nuclear power industry for 

disposal at shallow-land LLW burial grounds.

10Be is produced by neutron activation of 10B 

present as neutron absorbing materials, boron 

carbide and borosilicate glass in control rods, 

and as soluble borate added to PWR reactor 

coolant. It was detected in both samples whereas 

36Cl and 126Sn were not detected in either sample 

which suggests that the reactor coolant system at 

Indian Point has little chloride contamination or 

breakdown of tin containing components. 

Niobium-93m was detected in both resin 

samples at relatively high concentrations. 

Niobium is present as an impurity in stainless 

steel and some Inconel types at concentrations of 

5 to 400 ppm, and is present as an additive in 

some types of Inconel at 10,000 to 50,000 ppm. 

Although Niobium-93m has a half-life of 16.1 

years, 94Nb has a half-life of 20,000 years. The 

high concentration of the 93mNb, would suggest 

relatively high concentrations of the 94Nb. 

Because two of the 93mNb parents, 93Mo and 

93Zr, also have extremely long half-lives, the 

93mNb will remain in some types of neutronactivated metal wastes and spent ion exchange 

resins for thousands of years. 

Primary conclusions of this evaluation are 

that the fractional release rates for the 

decontamination radionuclides 60Co, 59,63Ni, 

54Mn, and 65Zn range from 3E-3 to 1E-1, or 0.3–

10%. This is a fairly highly release for these 

radionuclides and is considerably higher than 

those expected from cement solidified waste 

forms. Typically, the release rates from the 

anion and deborating resins are higher than those 

from the cation resin, which may be considered 

more likely because the decontamination 

radionuclides are cations. The higher than 

expected fractional releases for the uranium 

radionuclides and the transuranics are significant 

as they would suggest relatively high releases. 

There appears to be little difference in the 

release over 37 and 93 days, which suggests that 

most of the radioactive materials release may 

occur relatively early in the leach period, with 

little additional release over the longer term. 

These data suggest that most of the inventory is 

retained in the resin and is not subject to 

significant release until the resin begins to age 

and deteriorate, which generally occurs 

relatively rapidly. 

Despite containing much higher radionuclide 

activities, the leachate from the cation resin does 

not contain the highest concentrations of 
20 

corrosion product-derived transition metals; the 

anion resin leachate contains the most. And, in 

general, the leachates from the deborating resin 

contain the lowest concentrations of transition 

metals. This may be likely, as the cation resin 

may bind the cation decontamination elements 

more tightly than does the anion or deborating 

resin. 

Only the cation resin leachate contained 

measurable concentrations of EDTA. The 

concentration [70.1 mg/L] is equivalent to 2.4 x

10-4 M. EDTA is expected to be the primary 

chelating agent present and appears to be 

relatively well destroyed during the CANDEREM process with only a low concentration 

remaining in the decontamination waste. This 

suggests that potential chelating agent mobility 

of radionuclides may be relatively limited due to 

the small amount of EDTA present. The leach 

rate for EDTA was determined to be 1.4 E-5

mole/year.
21 

REFERENCES 

1. “Technical Position on Waste Form,” U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Low-Level Waste Management Branch, 

Washington, D.C., May 1983. 

2. “Technical Position on Waste Form,” 

Revision 1, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission, Low-Level Waste 

Management Branch, Washington, D.C., 

January 1991. 

3. “Measurement of the Leachability of 

Solidified Low-Level Radioactive Wastes 

by a Short-Term Test Procedure,” 

ANSI/ANS-16.1-1986, American Nuclear 

Society Standards Committee, April 1986. 

4. L. Criscenti and R. Serne, Geochemical 

Analysis of Leachates from 

Cement/Low-Level Radioactive Waste/Soil 

Systems, PNL-6544, September 1988. 

5. A. Ipatti and H. Harkonen, Half-Scale 

Solidification Experiment of Spent 

Ion-Exchange Resins, YJT-89-11, Nuclear 

Waste Commission of Finnish Power 

Companies, August 1989. 

6. C. V. McIsaac, D. W. Akers, and J. W. 

McConnell, Effect of pH on the Release of 

Radionuclides and Chelating Agents from 

Cement-Solidified Decontamination IonExchange Resins Collected from Operating 

Nuclear Power Stations, NUREG/CR-5601, 

June 1991. 

7. C. Howard, C. Jolliffe, and D. Lee, 

Immobilization in Cement of Ion-Exchange 

Resins Arising from the Purification of 

Reagents Used for the Decontamination of 

Reactor Circuits, AEEW-M-2536, 

CPDG-(88)-P118, UKAEA Atomic Energy 

Establishment, Winfrith, England, 

September 1988. 

8. C. Howard, C. Jolliffe, and D. Lee, 

Immobilization in Cement of Ion-Exchange 

Resins Arising from the Purification of 

Reagents Used for the Decontamination of 

Reactor Circuits, AEEW-M-2558, 

CPDG-(88)-P208, UKAEA Atomic Energy 

Establishment, Winfrith, England, February 

1989. 

9. D. W. Akers, N. C. Kraft and J. W. 

Mandler, Compression and Immesion Tests 

and Leaching of Radionuclides, Stable 

Metals, and Chelating Agents From 

Cement-Solidified Decontamination Wastes 

Collected from Nuclear Power Stations, 

NUREG/CR-6201, June 1994. 

10. Proceedings: 1995 Radiation Field Control 

and Decontamination Seminar: Volume 1 

and 2. EPRI Report TR-106009-V1 and V2, 

December 1995. 

11. Robertson, D. E., C. W. Thomas, S. L. 

Pratt, E. A. Lepel, and V. W. Thomas. 

“Low-Level Radioactive Waste 

Classification, Characterization, and 

Assessment: Waste Streams and NeutronActivated Metals,” NUREG/CR-6567, 

PNNL-11659, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission, Washington, D. C., August 

2000. 

12. “Long Term Testing of Solidified 

Radioactive Waste Forms,” ISO6961, 

1982-1015 

13. P. Vejmelka and R. Koster, “Leach Studies 

of Chelating Agents and Influence on 

Radionuclide Leaching from Simulated 

LLW/ILW Cement Waste Forms,” 

Proceedings of Waste Management '90, 

1990. 

14. R. J. Lemire and F. Garisto, “The Effect of 

Ionic Strength, Groundwater Composition, 

and Temperature on Calculated 

Radionuclide Solubilities,” Radiochimica 

Acta, 58/59, 1992. 

15. L. W. Jones, M. Bricka, and M. J. Cunnane, 

“Effects of Selected Waste Constituents on 

Solidified/Stabilized Waste Leachability,” 

Proceedings of Second International ASTM 

Symposium on Stabilization/Solidification 

of Hazardous, Radioactive, and Mixed 

Wastes, May 29, 1990. 
A-1 

Appendix A 

Resin Leach Rate Data 
A-2 

Table A-1. Cation resin leach results (37 days). 

Radionuclide 

pCi 

inventory 

27.76 g 

IP3-37 

Cation Resin 

264.1 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 1.87E+05 5.01E+00 2.67E-05 1.76E+00 

242Cm 1.00E+03 < 4.83E-01 < 4.82E-04 < 1.69E-01 

244Cm 5.89E+04 1.18E+00 2.00E-05 4.13E-01 

238Pu 1.03E+05 2.43E+00 2.36E-05 8.51E-01 

239/240Pu 8.66E+04 2.13E+00 2.47E-05 7.48E-01 

233,234U 3.78E+03 1.76E+01 4.65E-03 6.16E+00 

235U < 3.97E+02 1.02E+00 > 2.58E-03 3.59E-01 

238U < 3.97E+02 5.40E-01 > 1.36E-03 1.89E-01 

Gamma Spectrometry 

108mAg < 9.63E+05 < 5.14E+03 < 5.34E-03 < 1.80E+03 

110mAg < 7.25E+05 < 4.67E+03 < 6.45E-03 < 1.64E+03 

214Bi < 1.35E+06 

144Ce 2.67E+06 < 1.59E+04 < 5.94E-03 < 5.56E+03 

58Co < 1.10E+06 < 6.32E+03 < 5.72E-03 < 2.21E+03 

60Co 2.08E+09 8.20E+06 3.94E-03 2.87E+06 

134Cs < 6.36E+05 < 3.86E+03 < 6.08E-03 < 1.35E+03 

137Cs < 8.08E+05 3.94E+03 4.88E-03 1.38E+03 

152Eu 1.23E+06 < 1.09E+04 < 8.89E-03 < 3.82E+03 

154Eu 9.08E+05 < 9.84E+03 < 1.08E-02 < 3.45E+03 

155Eu < 7.05E+05 < 5.30E+03 < 7.51E-03 < 1.86E+03 

54Mn 2.83E+06 4.18E+03 1.47E-03 1.46E+03 

94Nb < 7.88E+03 

95Nb < 1.01E+06 

239Np < 9.55E+05 

214Pb < 2.39E+06 

226Ra < 1.04E+07 < 6.99E+03 < 6.70E-04 < 2.45E+03 

103Ru < 4.22E+05 < 4.57E+03 < 1.08E-02 < 1.60E+03 

106Ru < 6.52E+06 4.78E+04 < 7.32E-03 1.67E+04 

125Sb < 7.25E+05 < 9.79E+03 < 1.35E-02 < 3.43E+03 

235U < 6.38E+05 < 1.62E+04 < 2.53E-02 < 5.66E+03 

65Zn 1.18E+07 7.96E+04 6.75E-03 2.79E+04 

95Zr < 1.80E+06 < 1.05E+04 < 5.82E-03 < 3.67E+03 
Table A-1. (continued). 

A-3 

Radionuclide 

pCi 

inventory 

27.76 g 

IP3-37 

Cation Resin 

264.1 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Other radionuclides 

129I < 3.47E+03 

59Ni 3.11E+05 3.71E+03 1.19E-02 1.30E+03 

14C 4.80E+04 1.10E+03 2.29E-02 3.85E+02 

63Ni 6.08E+07 2.00E+05 3.30E-03 7.03E+04 

241Pu 2.78E+06 1.42E+02 5.11E-05 4.98E+01 

90Sr 1.21E+05 1.49E+02 1.24E-03 5.23E+01 

99Tc 1.45E+04 1.58E+01 1.09E-03 5.53E+00 
A-4 

Table A-2. Cation resin leach results (93 days). 

Radionuclide 

Cation 

pCi 

inventory 

22.92 g 

IP3-93 

Cation Resin 

256.5 mL 

Fraction 

Release 

 pCi/yr/g 

resin 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 1.55E+05 4.03E+00 2.60E-05 6.80E-01 

242Cm 8.27E+02 < 5.05E-01 < 6.11E-04 < 8.53E-02 

244Cm 4.86E+04 1.13E+00 2.33E-05 1.91E-01 

238Pu 8.50E+04 2.49E+00 2.93E-05 4.21E-01 

239/240Pu 7.15E+04 2.42E+00 3.38E-05 4.09E-01 

233,234U 3.12E+03 1.20E+01 3.84E-03 2.02E+00 

235U < 3.28E+02 9.98E-01 > 3.04E-03 1.69E-01 

238U < 3.28E+02 < 4.67E-01 < 1.42E-03 < 7.88E-02 

Gamma Spectrometry 

108mAg < 7.95E+05 < 5.75E+03 < 7.22E-03 < 9.70E+02 

110mAg < 5.98E+05 < 4.95E+03 < 8.28E-03 < 8.36E+02 

214Bi < 1.12E+06 

144Ce 2.21E+06 < 1.36E+04 < 6.17E-03 < 2.30E+03 

58Co < 9.12E+05 < 7.05E+03 < 7.73E-03 < 1.19E+03 

60Co 1.72E+09 5.18E+06 3.01E-03 8.75E+05 

134Cs < 5.25E+05 < 4.26E+03 < 8.11E-03 < 7.19E+02 

137Cs < 6.67E+05 5.23E+03 > 7.85E-03 8.84E+02 

152Eu 1.01E+06 < 8.62E+03 < 8.51E-03 < 1.46E+03 

154Eu 7.49E+05 < 9.64E+03 < 1.29E-02 < 1.63E+03 

155Eu < 5.82E+05 < 5.85E+03 < 1.00E-02 < 9.88E+02 

54Mn 2.34E+06 < 6.93E+03 < 2.96E-03 < 1.17E+03 

94Nb < 6.51E+03 

95Nb < 8.37E+05 

239Np < 7.88E+05 

214Pb < 1.97E+06 

226Ra < 8.62E+06 < 6.95E+03 < 8.07E-04 < 1.17E+03 

103Ru < 3.48E+05 < 4.92E+03 < 1.41E-02 < 8.32E+02 

106Ru < 5.39E+06 < 4.41E+04 < 8.19E-03 < 7.45E+03 

125Sb < 5.98E+05 < 1.03E+04 < 1.72E-02 < 1.73E+03 

235U < 5.27E+05 < 1.36E+04 < 2.59E-02 < 2.30E+03 

65Zn 9.74E+06 6.39E+04 6.56E-03 1.08E+04 

95Zr < 1.49E+06 < 1.17E+04 < 7.88E-03 < 1.98E+03 
Table A-2. (continued). 

A-5 

Radionuclide 

Cation 

pCi 

inventory 

22.92 g 

IP3-93 

Cation Resin 

256.5 mL 

Fraction 

Release 

 pCi/yr/g 

resin 

Other radionuclides 

129I < 2.87E+03 

59Ni 2.57E+05 1.52E+03 5.93E-03 2.57E+02 

14C 3.97E+04 1.40E+03 3.53E-02 2.36E+02 

63Ni 5.02E+07 1.37E+05 2.72E-03 2.31E+04 

241Pu 2.29E+06 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 

90Sr 9.97E+04 6.80E+01 6.82E-04 1.15E+01 

99Tc 1.20E+04 3.10E+01 2.59E-03 5.24E+00 
A-6 

Table A-3. Anion resin leach results (37 days). 

Nuclide 

#487022-46 

anion 

20.87 g 

IP1 37 

#487022-46 

anion 

252.9mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 1.82E+03 8.32E+00 4.57E-03 3.88E+00 

242Cm < 1.73E+02 < 4.73E-01 < 2.73E-03 < 2.20E-01 

244Cm 5.66E+02 2.23E+00 3.94E-03 1.04E+00 

238Pu 1.01E+03 < 1.06E+00 < 1.05E-03 < 4.93E-01 

239/240Pu 7.85E+02 < 6.47E-01 < 8.25E-04 < 3.02E-01 

233,234U 3.84E+02 6.95E+00 1.81E-02 3.24E+00 

235U < 2.21E+01 8.78E-01 > 3.97E-02 4.09E-01 

238U < 3.09E+01 6.09E-01 > 1.97E-02 2.84E-01 

Gamma Spectrometry 0.00E+00 

108mAg < 1.22E+04 < 3.39E+02 < 2.77E-02 < 1.58E+02 

110mAg < 2.09E+04 < 3.06E+02 < 1.47E-02 < 1.43E+02 

214Bi < 3.71E+04 0.00E+00 

144Ce < 3.23E+05 < 9.05E+02 < 2.80E-03 < 4.22E+02 

58Co < 2.15E+04 < 4.50E+02 < 2.09E-02 < 2.10E+02 

60Co 1.13E+07 7.61E+05 6.73E-02 3.55E+05 

134Cs < 2.19E+04 7.31E+03 > 3.34E-01 3.41E+03 

137Cs < 1.84E+04 8.37E+02 > 4.55E-02 3.90E+02 

152Eu < 1.90E+04 < 8.47E+02 < 4.45E-02 < 3.95E+02 

154Eu < 1.23E+04 < 7.71E+02 < 6.25E-02 < 3.60E+02 

155Eu < 1.45E+04 2.88E+02 > 1.99E-02 1.34E+02 

54Mn < 2.25E+04 < 4.20E+02 < 1.86E-02 < 1.96E+02 

94Nb < 1.72E-01 

95Nb < 1.98E+04 

239Np < 1.76E+04 

214Pb < 2.63E+04 

226Ra < 1.91E+05 < 4.45E+02 < 2.34E-03 < 2.08E+02 

103Ru < 1.29E+05 2.88E+02 > 2.23E-03 1.34E+02 

106Ru < 1.53E+05 2.73E+03 > 1.79E-02 1.27E+03 

125Sb 3.32E+06 7.97E+04 2.40E-02 3.71E+04 

235U < 1.16E+04 < 9.10E+02 < 7.82E-02 < 4.24E+02 

65Zn 1.19E+05 6.93E+03 5.83E-02 3.23E+03 

95Zr < 3.53E+04 < 7.44E+02 < 2.11E-02 < 3.47E+02 
Table A-3. (continued). 

A-7 

Nuclide 

#487022-46 

anion 

20.87 g 

IP1 37 

#487022-46 

anion 

252.9mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Other radionuclides 

129I < 2.23E+02 

59Ni 2.84E+05 4.10E+04 1.44E-01 1.91E+04 

14C 2.75E+04 1.64E+03 5.94E-02 7.63E+02 

63Ni 6.32E+07 3.57E+06 5.64E-02 1.66E+06 

241Pu 3.40E+04 1.80E+02 5.28E-03 8.37E+01 

90Sr 7.89E+02 < 3.14E+01 < 3.98E-02 < 1.46E+01 

99Tc 2.55E+03 6.40E+01 2.51E-02 2.98E+01 
A-8 

Table A-4. Anion resin leach results (93 days). 

Nuclide 

#487022-46 

anion 

25.8 g 

IP1-93 

#487022-46 

anion 

248.1 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 2.27E+03 3.94E+00 1.74E-03 5.92E-01 

242Cm < 2.16E+02 < 8.34E-01 < 3.87E-03 < 1.25E-01 

244Cm 7.05E+02 < 4.17E-01 < 5.91E-04 < 6.25E-02 

238Pu 1.26E+03 2.51E+00 1.99E-03 3.76E-01 

239/240Pu 9.78E+02 2.41E+00 2.46E-03 3.61E-01 

233,234U 4.79E+02 1.41E+00 2.94E-03 2.11E-01 

235U < 2.76E+01 < 4.61E-01 < 1.67E-02 < 6.92E-02 

238U < 3.85E+01 < 4.61E-01 < 1.20E-02 < 6.92E-02 

Gamma Spectrometry 0.00E+00 

108mAg < 1.52E+04 < 5.81E+02 < 3.81E-02 < 8.71E+01 

110mAg < 2.60E+04 < 5.01E+02 < 1.93E-02 < 7.52E+01 

214Bi < 4.63E+04 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 

144Ce < 4.03E+05 < 2.14E+03 < 5.31E-03 < 3.21E+02 

58Co < 2.68E+04 < 7.17E+02 < 2.68E-02 < 1.08E+02 

60Co 1.41E+07 1.84E+05 1.30E-02 2.75E+04 

134Cs < 2.73E+04 4.37E+03 > 1.60E-01 > 6.55E+02 

137Cs < 2.29E+04 < 5.41E+02 < 2.36E-02 < 8.11E+01 

152Eu < 2.37E+04 < 1.13E+03 < 4.77E-02 < 1.70E+02 

154Eu < 1.54E+04 < 1.00E+03 < 6.54E-02 < 1.51E+02 

155Eu < 1.81E+04 < 7.69E+02 < 4.26E-02 < 1.15E+02 

54Mn < 2.81E+04 < 6.67E+02 < 2.38E-02 < 1.00E+02 

94Nb < 2.15E-01 

95Nb < 2.47E+04 

239Np < 2.19E+04 

214Pb < 3.28E+04 

226Ra < 2.37E+05 < 8.56E+02 < 3.60E-03 < 1.28E+02 

103Ru < 1.61E+05 < 5.16E+02 < 3.20E-03 < 7.74E+01 

106Ru < 1.91E+05 < 4.52E+03 < 2.37E-02 < 6.77E+02 

125Sb 4.14E+06 1.71E+04 4.15E-03 2.57E+03 

235U < 1.45E+04 < 2.17E+03 < 1.50E-01 < 3.26E+02 

65Zn 1.48E+05 4.17E+03 2.81E-02 6.25E+02 

95Zr < 4.40E+04 < 1.18E+03 < 2.69E-02 < 1.78E+02 
Table A-4. (continued). 

A-9 

Nuclide 

#487022-46 

anion 

25.8 g 

IP1-93 

#487022-46 

anion 

248.1 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Other radionuclides 

129I < 2.78E+02 

59Ni 3.54E+05 4.14E+03 1.17E-02 6.22E+02 

14C 3.43E+04 < 5.31E+01 < 1.55E-03 < 7.97E+00 

63Ni 7.88E+07 3.75E+05 4.75E-03 5.62E+04 

241Pu 4.24E+04 1.27E+02 3.00E-03 1.91E+01 

90Sr 9.83E+02 < 2.33E+01 < 2.37E-02 < 3.49E+00 

99Tc 3.17E+03 < 3.00E+01 < 9.46E-03 < 4.50E+00 
A-10 

Table A-5. Deborating resin leach results (37 days). 

Nuclide 

#480722-36 

22.38 g 

IP2-37 

#480722-36 

259.1 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 2.42E+01 < 6.27E-01 < 2.59E-02 < 2.73E-01 

242Cm < 2.06E+01 < 4.56E-01 < 2.21E-02 < 1.98E-01 

244Cm < 3.69E+01 < 6.50E-01 < 1.76E-02 < 2.83E-01 

238Pu < 4.70E+01 < 1.17E+00 < 2.49E-02 < 5.09E-01 

239/240Pu < 2.64E+01 8.58E-01 3.25E-02 3.73E-01 

233,234U 2.14E+02 2.64E+00 1.23E-02 1.15E+00 

235U < 2.16E+01 < 4.07E-01 < 1.89E-02 < 1.77E-01 

238U < 2.15E+01 < 4.53E-01 < 2.11E-02 < 1.97E-01 

Gamma Spectrometry 

108mAg < 3.02E+03 < 4.33E+01 < 1.43E-02 < 1.88E+01 

110mAg < 2.37E+03 < 3.52E+02 < 1.49E-01 < 1.53E+02 

214Bi < 1.27E+04 

144Ce < 1.59E+04 < 5.26E+02 < 3.31E-02 < 2.29E+02 

58Co < 3.22E+03 < 5.78E+01 < 1.79E-02 < 2.51E+01 

60Co 2.26E+04 9.82E+02 4.34E-02 4.27E+02 

134Cs < 4.07E+03 5.13E+02 1.26E-01 2.23E+02 

137Cs < 6.56E+03 9.61E+03 1.47E+00 4.18E+03 

152Eu < 6.47E+03 < 1.97E+02 < 3.05E-02 < 8.57E+01 

154Eu < 4.16E+03 < 1.29E+02 < 3.10E-02 < 5.61E+01 

155Eu < 4.21E+03 < 1.94E+02 < 4.61E-02 < 8.44E+01 

54Mn < 3.29E+03 < 5.05E+01 < 1.54E-02 < 2.20E+01 

94Nb < 2.78E-03 

95Nb < 3.00E+03 

239Np < 5.33E+03 

214Pb < 1.29E+04 

226Ra < 6.58E+04 < 2.37E+02 < 3.60E-03 < 1.03E+02 

103Ru < 1.64E+03 < 1.10E+02 < 6.68E-02 < 4.78E+01 

106Ru < 2.22E+04 < 7.23E+02 < 3.26E-02 < 3.14E+02 

125Sb 1.23E+05 2.38E+04 1.94E-01 1.03E+04 

235U < 4.01E+03 < 5.36E+02 < 1.34E-01 < 2.33E+02 

65Zn < 8.97E+03 < 1.32E+02 < 1.47E-02 < 5.74E+01 

95Zr < 4.97E+03 
Table A-5. (continued). 

A-11 

Nuclide 

#480722-36 

22.38 g 

IP2-37 

#480722-36 

259.1 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Other radionuclides 

129I < 3.00E+02 

59Ni < 2.11E+03 < 6.43E+01 < 3.05E-02 < 2.79E+01 

14C 5.62E+02 6.71E+01 1.19E-01 2.92E+01 

63Ni 7.50E+04 5.21E+02 6.95E-03 2.26E+02 

241Pu < 3.04E+03 8.99E+00 2.95E-03 3.91E+00 

90Sr < 5.53E+02 4.09E+00 7.41E-03 1.78E+00 

99Tc < 0.00E+00 6.45E+00 2.80E+00 
A-12 

Table A-6. Deborating resin leach results (93 days). 

Nuclide 

#480722-36 

23.17 g 

IP2-93 

#480722-36 

250.2 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Alpha Spectrometry 

241Am 2.50E+01 < 4.40E-01 < 1.76E-02 < 7.36E-02 

242Cm < 2.13E+01 < 4.85E-01 < 2.28E-02 < 8.11E-02 

244Cm < 3.82E+01 < 4.40E-01 < 1.15E-02 < 7.36E-02 

238Pu < 4.87E+01 < 1.09E+00 < 2.24E-02 < 1.82E-01 

239/240Pu < 2.73E+01 < 6.26E-01 < 2.29E-02 < 1.05E-01 

233,234U 2.22E+02 5.05E+00 2.28E-02 8.44E-01 

235U < 2.23E+01 3.55E-01 1.59E-02 5.94E-02 

238U < 2.22E+01 3.55E-01 1.60E-02 5.94E-02 

Gamma Spectrometry 

108mAg < 3.13E+03 < 7.61E+01 < 2.43E-02 < 1.27E+01 

110mAg < 2.46E+03 < 5.55E+02 < 2.26E-01 < 9.28E+01 

214Bi < 1.31E+04 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 

144Ce < 1.65E+04 < 8.01E+02 < 4.86E-02 < 1.34E+02 

58Co < 3.34E+03 < 8.56E+01 < 2.56E-02 < 1.43E+01 

60Co 2.34E+04 7.66E+02 3.27E-02 1.28E+02 

134Cs < 4.22E+03 5.98E+03 1.42E+00 9.99E+02 

137Cs < 6.79E+03 1.10E+04 1.61E+00 1.83E+03 

152Eu < 6.70E+03 < 2.88E+02 < 4.30E-02 < 4.81E+01 

154Eu < 4.31E+03 < 1.96E+02 < 4.56E-02 < 3.28E+01 

155Eu < 4.36E+03 < 3.08E+02 < 7.06E-02 < 5.14E+01 

54Mn < 3.41E+03 < 7.68E+01 < 2.26E-02 < 1.28E+01 

94Nb < 2.87E-03 

95Nb < 3.10E+03 

239Np < 5.51E+03 

214Pb < 1.34E+04 

226Ra < 6.81E+04 < 3.43E+02 < 5.03E-03 < 5.73E+01 

103Ru < 1.70E+03 < 1.83E+02 < 1.08E-01 < 3.06E+01 

106Ru < 2.30E+04 < 1.04E+03 < 4.54E-02 < 1.74E+02 

125Sb 1.27E+05 2.23E+04 1.76E-01 3.73E+03 

235U < 4.15E+03 < 7.83E+02 < 1.89E-01 < 1.31E+02 

65Zn < 9.29E+03 < 1.63E+02 < 1.76E-02 < 2.73E+01 

95Zr < 5.14E+03 < 1.31E+02 < 2.54E-02 < 2.18E+01 
Table A-6. (continued). 

A-13 

Nuclide 

#480722-36 

23.17 g 

IP2-93 

#480722-36 

250.2 mL 

Fraction 

Release pCi/yr/g resin 

Other radionuclides 

129I < 3.10E+02 

59Ni < 2.18E+03 < 8.93E+01 < 4.10E-02 < 1.49E+01 

14C 5.82E+02 5.00E+01 8.60E-02 8.36E+00 

63Ni 7.76E+04 5.55E+02 7.16E-03 9.28E+01 

241Pu < 3.15E+03 6.33E+01 2.01E-02 1.06E+01 

90Sr < 5.72E+02 1.26E+02 2.20E-01 2.11E+01 

99Tc 
A-14 

NRC FORM 335 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

(2-89)

NRCM 1102, BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA SHEET 3201. 3202 (See Instructions on the reverse)

1. REPORT NUMBER 

 (Assigned by NRC, Add Vol., 

 Supp., Rev., and Addendum 

 Numbers, if any.) 

INEEL/EXT-01-01681 

2. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 3. DATE REPORT PUBLISHED

Release of Radionuclides and Chelating Agents from Full-System 

Decontamination Ion-Exchange Resins 

MONTH 

December 

YEAR 

2001 

4. FIN OR GRANT NUMBER 

A6359 

6. TYPE OF REPORT

 Technical 

5. AUTHOR(S) 

Douglas W. Akers 7. PERIOD COVERED (Inclusive Dates)

8. PERFORMING ORGANIZAITON - NAME AND ADDRESS (If NRC, provide Division, Office or Region, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

and mailing address; if contractor, provide name and mailing address.) 

Nuclear and Radiological Physics 

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory 

P.O. Box 1625 

Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3129 

9. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION - NAME AND ADDRESS (If NRC, type “Same as above”; If contractor, provide NRC Division, Office or Region, 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and mailing address.) 

Division of System Analysis and Regulatory Effectiveness 

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Washington, DC 20555-0001 

10. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 

11. ABSTRACT (200 words or less) 

As part of a study being performed for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), small-scale waste specimens were 

collected following an AP/CAN-DEREM full-system decontamination of the reactor vessel of the Indian Point 2 reactor 

vessel in March 1995. CAN-DEREM is a modified version of a reduction process developed by Atomic Energy of Canada 

Ltd. for that country's heavy-water CANDU reactors. The purpose of this program was to evaluate the radionuclide and 

chelating agent inventories of some of the decontamination ion-exchange resins produced during the decontamination 

process and to assess the leachability of the resins. The samples of anion, cation, and mixed-bed ion-exchange resins were 

acquired and tested because few data have been obtained on the radionuclide content and leachability characteristics of fullsystem decontamination ion-exchange resins. Results of this study indicate that both chelating agents and radionuclides did 

leach from the resin.

12. KEY WORDS/DESCRIPTORS (List words or phrases that will assist researchers in locating the report.) 

SCDAP/RELAP5; severe fuel damage; thermal hydraulics; LWR; coolant system; reactor core 

13. AVAILABILITY 

STATEMENT 

Unlimited 

Radioactive waste, waste form, leachability, leach index, leach rate, ionexchange resins, radioactive material, CAN-DEREM, chelating agents, 

radionuclide leachability, decontamination, decontamination effectiveness, full 

system decontamination 

14. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 

 (This page) 

Unclassified 

 (This report) 

 Unclassified 

 14. NUMBER OF PAGES 

 26 

16. PRICE 

NRC FORM 335 (2-89)