A Study on Behaviors of the Uranium Dissolution From Uranium-Contaminated Soil During an Acid Wash Process

• Published in: Journal of nuclear fuel cycle and waste technology (Online) Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 97 - 105
• Main Authors: Jung, Jun-Young, Jun, Byung-Moon, Oh, Maengkyo, Kim, Tack-Jin, Eun, Hee-Chul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 한국방사성폐기물학회 01.03.2025
• Subjects: 원자력공학; Removal; Uranium-contaminated soil; Low-concentration acid washing; Clearance; pH monitoring
• ISSN: 1738-1894; 2288-5471
• DOI: 10.7733/jnfcwt.2025.010

Uranium-contaminated soil can be cleaned using an acid washing process. However, high-concentration acid washing generates substantial amounts of radioactive waste, making it essential to develop a treatment process using low-concentration acid. This study evaluated the effectiveness of low-concentration sulfuric acid washing for uranium removal from contaminated soil. Experiments were conducted with a 0.05 M sulfuric acid solution. With a mixing ratio of soil to acid solution at 1:5, three consecutive washes were sufficient to remove uranium from contaminated soil to clearance level. During the acid washing process, real-time pH monitoring was performed to analyze the correlation between uranium leaching and pH changes. This led to the establishment of a monitoring-based process control strategy. In conclusion, we identified an effective method for removing uranium from soil under low acid concentration conditions. Consequently, significant reductions in radioactive waste generation are anticipated.