Removal and disposal of radioactive contaminants in mixed ion exchange resins with alkali metal halide

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR REMOVING AND DISPOSING OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS CONTAINED IN WATER COMPRISING FLOWING THE CONTAMINATED WATER THROUGH A BED OF MIXED CATION-ANION ION EXCHANGE RESIN CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 30% TO 70% BY WEIGHT OF A CATION ION EXCHANGE RESIN AND FROM ABOUT 70% TO 30% OF AN ANION ION EXCHANGE RESIN, THEREBY CAUSING THE RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS TO BE EXCHANGED FROM THE WATER TO THE RESIN, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH PERMITS EITHER REUSE OF THE RESIN OR MORE CONVENIENT DISPOSAL THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES FLOWING A DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ALKALI METAL HALIDE THROUGH THE BED AT A RATE OF FLOW SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE RESIN TO EXPAND IN VOLUME BY AT LEAST ABOUT 25%, THEREAFTER FLOWING A CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ALKALI METAL HALIDE IN REVERSE DIRECTION THROUGH THE BED, AND REMOVING THE WATER FROM THE DILUTE AQUEOUS ALKALI METAL HALIDE SOLUTION PASSED THROUGH THE BED TO LEAVE A SMALL QUANTITY OF SOLID RADIOACTIVE WASTE MATERIAL.