SEPARATION OF ELEMENTS IN STAINLESS STEEL BY ELECTROREFINING PROCESS

摘要

The management of radioactivated stainless steel from a terminated nuclear reactor will become an important subject in the near future. The separation of the elements in stainless steel should be effective to reduce the management labor. In this study, the separation of the elements in stainless steel by an electrorefining technique was investigated in an aqueous solution. The electrochemical reactions of the elements in stainless steel were studied by voltammetry and potentio-static electrolysis was carried out. A stainless steel anode was dissolved electro-chemically with good anodic current efficiency in a chloride solution. The residue, where Ni was concentrated, was found on the anode after electrolysis. The electrodeposit in a stainless steel cathode consisted mainly of Fe and Cr and the Ni content in it was less than 0.5wt% under suitable condition. It is concluded that an electrorefining technique is effective for the separation of the elements in stainless steel.