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U.S. Department of Energy
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Low temperature hydrothermal treatment to enhance the separation of metals in radioactive wastes: Hanford tank waste simulant and actual waste testing

Conference ·
OSTI ID:370580
; ;  [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States); and others
The objective of this work is to evaluate and develop a low temperature hydrothermal organic destruction process that can be used to facilitate the removal of metals from Hanford tank waste. Hydrothermal processing destroys organic compounds that contribute to waste safety issues, and conditions the supernatant for low level waste disposal by destroying organic complexants which may promote the solubility of radioactive constituents such as {sup 90}Sr, {sup 241}Am, and {sup 238,239,240}Pu. Testing with simulated and actual tank waste has been performed. The degree of organic destruction and distribution of {sup 90}Sr, {sup 241}Am, and {sup 238,239,240}Pu as well as bulk metals between the supernatant and solid phases, before and after hydrothermal treatment, will be discussed. In addition, the simulant and actual waste test results will be compared.
OSTI ID:
370580
Report Number(s):
CONF-960376--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English