Recovery and recycling of aluminum, copper, and precious metals from dismantled weapon components

Conference · Thu Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:10192690

Gundiler, I H ^[1]; Lutz, J D; Wheelis, W T ^[2]

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1. New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM (United States)
2. Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is tasked to support The Department of Energy in the dismantlement and disposal of SNL designed weapon components. These components are sealed in a potting compound, and contain heavy metals, explosive, radioactive, and toxic materials. SNL developed a process to identify and remove the hazardous sub-components utilizing real-time radiography and abrasive water-jet cutting. The components were then crushed, granulated, screened, and separated into an aluminum and a precious-and-base-metals fraction using air-tables. Plastics were further cleaned for disposal as non-hazardous waste. New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources assisted SNL in investigation of size-reduction and separation technologies.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 10192690
• Report Number(s): SAND-94-2759C; CONF-940204-11; ON: DE95002187; BR: GB0103012; TRN: 94:022780
• Resource Relation: Conference: 123. annual meeting of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society,San Francisco, CA (United States),27 Feb - 3 Mar 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS DISMANTLEMENT
SANDIA LABORATORIES
WASTE PROCESSING
ALUMINIUM
MATERIALS RECOVERY
RECYCLING
COPPER
GOLD
SILVER
PALLADIUM
PLATINUM
WASTE MANAGEMENT
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
WASTE DISPOSAL
IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS
SOLID WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
052001
450200
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS AND EXPLOSIVES