Wet Chemical Oxidation and Stabilization of Mixed and Low Level Organic Wastes

Conference · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1998

OSTI ID:605642

Pierce, R A ^[1]; Livingston, R R; Burge, D A; Ramsey, W G ^[2]

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1. Westinghouse Savannah River Company, AIKEN, SC (United States)
2. CeraChem Technologies, Aiken, SC (United States)

Mixed acid oxidation is a non-incineration process capable of destroying organic compounds, including papers, plastics, resins, and oils, at moderate temperatures and pressures. The technology, developed at the Savannah River Site, uses a mixture of an oxidant (nitric acid) and a carrier acid (phosphoric acid). The carrier acid acts as a holding medium which allows appreciable amounts of the oxidant to be retained in solution at atmospheric pressure and at the temperatures needed for oxidation. The phosphoric acid also provides the raw materials for making a final waste which contains the metal contaminants from the waste stream. Savannah River has designed, built, and started up a 40-liter pilot reaction vessel to demonstrate the process and its sub-systems on a larger scale than earlier testing. The unit has been demonstrated and has provided important data on the operation of the oxidation and acid recovery systems. Specific results will be presented on oxidation conditions, acid recovery efficiency, chloride removal, metal retention, and process monitoring. Additional studies have been conducted with a smaller vessel in a radioactive hood. Testing with plutonium-bearing waste simulants was performed to make preliminary predictions about the behavior of plutonium in the process. Samples of the remaining phosphoric acid from these tests has been converted to two separate final forms for analysis. Results will be presented on plutonium fractionation during the oxidation process and waste form stability.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-96SR18500
• OSTI ID: 605642
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS--97-00829-Rev.1; CONF-980307--; ON: DE98052113
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
ACID HYDROLYSIS
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
NITRIC ACID
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PHOSPHORIC ACID
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
WASTE PROCESSING