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Quantitative determination of chelators and their degradation products in mixed hazardous wastes from Tank 241-SY-101 using derivatization GC/MS

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Abstract

Considerable attention has been focused on chelators such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA), which form water-soluble complexes with most heavy metals. Most radionuclides are included in this class of constituents. As a result, chelator complexes have become very important environmentally because of their tendency to enhance the mobility of heavy metals through the soil and potentially contaminate groundwater. In addition, there is a correlation between chelator concentration and crust formation/gas release. The chelators are a class of compounds whose low volatility and high polarity preclude analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) without prior derivatization. Waste samples from a double-shell storage tank at Hanford were derivatized with BF3/methanol and analyzed using GC/MS. Results indicate the presence of EDTA, HEDTA, nitrilotriacetic (NTA), and citric acid. Nitrosoiminodiacetic acid was identified and determined to be an artifact of the derivatization procedure; it is assumed to arise from nitrosation of iminodiacetic acid in the waste sample.

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Author notes

  1. K. E. Grant (AWU Faculty Member)

    Present address: Columbia Basin College, Pasco, WA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Organic Analytical Methods Development Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Box 999, 99352, Richland, WA, USA

    K. E. Grant (AWU Faculty Member), G. M. Mong, R. B. Lucke & J. A. Campbell

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  1. K. E. Grant
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  2. G. M. Mong
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  3. R. B. Lucke
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  4. J. A. Campbell
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Grant, K.E., Mong, G.M., Lucke, R.B. et al. Quantitative determination of chelators and their degradation products in mixed hazardous wastes from Tank 241-SY-101 using derivatization GC/MS. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Articles 211, 383–402 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02039706

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02039706

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