Laboratory scale vitrification of low-level radioactive nitrate salts and soils from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
Abstract
INEL has radiologically contaminated nitrate salt and soil waste stored above and below ground in Pad A and the Acid Pit at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex. Pad A contain uranium and transuranic contaminated potassium and sodium nitrate salts generated from dewatered waste solutions at the Rocky Flats Plant. The Acid Pit was used to dispose of liquids containing waste mineral acids, uranium, nitrate, chlorinated solvents, and some mercury. Ex situ vitrification is a high temperature destruction of nitrates and organics and immobilizes hazardous and radioactive metals. Laboratory scale melting of actual radionuclides containing INEL Pad A nitrate salts and Acid Pit soils was performed. The salt/soil/additive ratios were varied to determine the range of glass compositions (resulted from melting different wastes); maximize mass and volume reduction, durability, and immobilization of hazardous and radioactive metals; and minimize viscosity and offgas generation for wastes prevalent at INEL and other DOE sites. Some mixtures were spiked with additional hazardous and radioactive metals. Representative glasses were leach tested and showed none. Samples spiked with transuranic showed low nuclide leaching. Wasteforms were two to three times bulk densities of the salt and soil. Thermally co-processing soils and salts is an effective remediation method formore »
- Authors:
-
- EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States). NRT Div.
- Envitco Inc., Toledo, OH (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 10192334
- Report Number(s):
- EGG-WTD-10640
ON: DE95002048; TRN: 94:022734
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-76ID01570
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jul 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY; RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING; NITRATES; VITRIFICATION; LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; SOILS; WASTE FORMS; LEACHING; PERFORMANCE; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; 052001; WASTE PROCESSING
Citation Formats
Shaw, P, Anderson, B, and Davis, D. Laboratory scale vitrification of low-level radioactive nitrate salts and soils from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. United States: N. p., 1993.
Web. doi:10.2172/10192334.
Shaw, P, Anderson, B, & Davis, D. Laboratory scale vitrification of low-level radioactive nitrate salts and soils from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/10192334
Shaw, P, Anderson, B, and Davis, D. 1993.
"Laboratory scale vitrification of low-level radioactive nitrate salts and soils from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/10192334. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10192334.
@article{osti_10192334,
title = {Laboratory scale vitrification of low-level radioactive nitrate salts and soils from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory},
author = {Shaw, P and Anderson, B and Davis, D},
abstractNote = {INEL has radiologically contaminated nitrate salt and soil waste stored above and below ground in Pad A and the Acid Pit at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex. Pad A contain uranium and transuranic contaminated potassium and sodium nitrate salts generated from dewatered waste solutions at the Rocky Flats Plant. The Acid Pit was used to dispose of liquids containing waste mineral acids, uranium, nitrate, chlorinated solvents, and some mercury. Ex situ vitrification is a high temperature destruction of nitrates and organics and immobilizes hazardous and radioactive metals. Laboratory scale melting of actual radionuclides containing INEL Pad A nitrate salts and Acid Pit soils was performed. The salt/soil/additive ratios were varied to determine the range of glass compositions (resulted from melting different wastes); maximize mass and volume reduction, durability, and immobilization of hazardous and radioactive metals; and minimize viscosity and offgas generation for wastes prevalent at INEL and other DOE sites. Some mixtures were spiked with additional hazardous and radioactive metals. Representative glasses were leach tested and showed none. Samples spiked with transuranic showed low nuclide leaching. Wasteforms were two to three times bulk densities of the salt and soil. Thermally co-processing soils and salts is an effective remediation method for destroying nitrate salts while stabilizing the radiological and hazardous metals they contain. The measured durability of these low-level waste glasses approached those of high-level waste glasses. Lab scale vitrification of actual INEL contaminated salts and soils was performed at General Atomics Laboratory as part of the INEL Waste Technology Development and Environmental Restoration within the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration Program.},
doi = {10.2172/10192334},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10192334},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993},
month = {Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993}
}