Biodegradation of uranium-contaminated waste oil

Technical Report · Mon Mar 14 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5808120

Hary, L F

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant routinely generates quantities of uranium-contaminated waste oil. The current generation rate of waste oil is approximately 2000 gallons per year. The waste is presently biodegraded by landfarming on open field soil plots. However, due to the environmental concerns associated with this treatment process, studies were conducted to determine the optimum biodegradation conditions required for the destruction of this waste. Tests using respirometric flasks were conducted to determine the biodegradation rate for various types of Portsmouth waste oil. These tests were performed at three different loading rates, and on unfertilized and fertilized soil. Additional studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of open field landfarming versus treatment at a greenhouse-like enclosure for the purpose of maintaining soil temperatures above ambient conditions. The respirometric tests concluded that the optimum waste oil loading rate is 10% weight of oil-carbon/weight of soil (30,600 gallons of uranium-contaminated waste oil/acre) on soils with adjusted carbon:nitrogen and carbon:phosphorus ratios of 60:1 and 800:1, respectively. Also, calculational results indicated that greenhouse technology does not provide a significant increase in biodegradation efficiency. Based on these study results, a 6300 ft./sup 2/ abandoned anaerobic digester sludge drying bed is being modified into a permanent waste oil biodegradation facility. The advantage of using this area is that uranium contamination will be contained by the bed's existing leachate collection system. This modified facility will be capable of handling approximately 4500 gallons of waste oil per year; accordingly current waste generation quantities will be satisfactorily treated. 15 refs., 14 figs., 4 tabs.

• Research Organization: Goodyear Atomic Corp., Piketon, OH (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76OR00001
• OSTI ID: 5808120
• Report Number(s): GAT-S-33; ON: DE85012804
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
WASTE OILS
BIODEGRADATION
CONTAMINATION
BACTERIA
BUILDUP
CRITICALITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SOILS
TOXICITY
URANIUM
ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
ELEMENTS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
NUMERICAL DATA
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
510200 - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
510301 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)