A perspective of hazardous waste and mixed waste treatment technology at the Savannah River Site

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5787918

England, J L; Venkatesh, S; Bailey, L L; Langton, C A; Hay, M S; Stevens, C B; Carroll, S J

Treatment technologies for the preparation and treatment of heavy metal mixed wastes, contaminated soils, and mixed mercury wastes are being considered at the Savannah River Site (SRS), a DOE nuclear material processing facility operated by Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC). The proposed treatment technologies to be included at the Hazardous Waste/Mixed Waste Treatment Building at SRS are based on the regulatory requirements, projected waste volumes, existing technology, cost effectiveness, and project schedule. Waste sorting and size reduction are the initial step in the treatment process. After sorting/size reduction the wastes would go to the next applicable treatment module. For solid heavy metal mixed wastes the proposed treatment is macroencapsulation using a thermoplastic polymer. This process reduces the leachability of hazardous constituents from the waste and allows easy verification of the coating integrity. Stabilization and solidification in a cement matrix will treat a wide variety of wastes (i.e. soils, decontamination water). Some pretreatments may be required (i.e. Ph adjustment) before stabilization. Other pretreatments such as soil washing can reduce the amount of waste to be stabilized. Radioactive contaminated mercury waste at the SRS comes in numerous forms (i.e. process equipment, soils, and lab waste) with the required treatment of high mercury wastes being roasting/retorting and recovery. Any unrecyclable radioactive contaminated elemental mercury would be amalgamated, utilizing a batch system, before disposal.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 5787918
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS-91-117; CONF-910849--10; ON: DE92010053
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
42 ENGINEERING
420203 -- Engineering-- Handling Equipment & Procedures
BUILDING MATERIALS
CEMENTS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
GLOVEBOXES
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING
MERCURY
METALS
MIXTURES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SOLIDIFICATION
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE FORMS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING