Effect of ozone on ruthenium species in alkaline medium – Part III: Oxidative dissolution of ruthenium deposits onto stainless steel

Abstract

SummarySeveral ruthenium species compounds are typically encountered in waste management from nuclear fuel reprocessing operations. Ozone acting as a strong oxidizing agent in aqueous alkaline medium has some advantages for dissolving solid ruthenium deposits formed in process equipments, without generating troublesome by-products or secondary waste. This study is focused on oxidative dissolution of ruthenium(IV) oxyhydroxyde deposited on 304L stainless steel by ozone in alkaline medium. Oxidative dissolution of these deposits under various experimental conditions shows an analogous behaviour to that observed in a previous study with RuO2·xH2O suspensions, notably the autocatalytic effect of ruthenate ions RuO42−for the oxidative dissolution of ruthenium deposits.