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Radionuclide Leaching from Residual Solids Remaining after Acid Dissolution of K East Area Sludge Composite

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5105· OSTI ID:5105

Laboratory tests were performed to examine the efficacy of various leach treatments for decontaminating dissolver residual solids (KEACRESID1) produced during a 24-hour dissolution of K East Basin floor and Weasel Pit sludge composite in boiling 6 M HNO{sub 3}. The scope of this testing has been described in Section 4.5 of ''Testing Strategy to Support the Development of K Basin Sludge Treatment Process'' (Flament 1998). Radionuclides sorbed or associated with the residual solids generated in the K Basin sludge treatment process can restrict disposal of this solid to the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF). The starting dissolver residual solid for this testing, KEACRESID1, is a visibly heterogeneous material. This material contains radionuclides at concentrations above the ERDF Waste Acceptance Criteria for transuranics (TRU) by about a factor of 3, for {sup 239}Pu by a factor of 10, and for {sup 241}Am by a factor of 1.6. It meets the ERDF criterion for {sup 137}Cs by a factor of 4 and for uranium by a factor of 10. Therefore, the radionuclides of greatest interest in this leaching study are first {sup 239}Pu, and then {sup 241}Am, {sup 137}Cs, and uranium.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
5105
Report Number(s):
PNNL-12104
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English