Electrokinetic removal of radionuclides contained in scintillation liquids absorbed in soil type Phaeozem.

Control samples of scintillation liquids - Phaeozem soil mixtures were prepared with different scintillation liquids as the support electrolyte, Install Gel(®) XF, (Ultima Gold AB™ and Ultima Gold XR™), to construct the polarization curves, and to select the cell potential with the highest mass transfer to remove (24)Na (15 h) and (99m)Tc (6 h) as radiotracers from polluted Phaeozem soil. During the electrokinetic treatment (EKT), the removal of radionuclides contained in scintillation liquids absorbed in Phaeozem soil, liquid phase was characterized by Gas Chromatography coupled with a Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), solids by FTIR, before and after the application of cell potential. In this sense, the support electrolyte was selected based on the highest current generated (1 mA), as in the case of scintillation liquid 50% Ultima Gold XR™ + 50% Water (1:1), which was used for 6 h in the presence of a mesh and a titanium rod, as anode and cathode, respectively. Finally, the removal percentage accumulated in the liquid phase after the EKT of Phaeozem soil polluted by (99m)Tc was 61% close to the anode after 4 h. It was also 61% for (24)Na close to cathode after 2 h, and after 4 h it was 71.8%.