Recycling and resource recovery at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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

OSTI ID:6090319

Hall, R; Benson, C E; Grubb, R G; Patton, B D

This paper discusses recycling and resource recovery strategies being developed to maintain continued operations at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Several industrial decontamination techniques for minimization, segregation, and recycling of wastes volumes are presented. A wide variety of liquid wastewater streams are generated from the operations of these research facilities. The major chemical constituents -- bicarbonates of calcium, magnesium, and sodium -- are introduced by local river water and shallow drainage wells. Liquid low-level waste (LLLW), generated in support of DOE's nuclear energy technology programs over the past 40 years, are highly contaminated with fission products and transuranic (TRU) elements. These wastes are routinely collected in centralized collection tanks, concentrated by evaporation, and stored for future processing and disposal. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 mandated a nationwide system for the safe management of wastes that have been determined hazardous from their creation of their ultimate disposal (i.e., cradle-to-grave control). The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HWSA) prohibited the continued placement of RCRA regulated hazardous wastes in or on the land without following Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) treatment standards. The EPA promulgated RCRA-LDR (land-disposal-restricted) regulations, minimizing short- and long-term threats arising from land disposal, will not allow facilities to store mixed LLLW after 1994 (56 FR 42730, August 29, 1991). Tank storage volume capacities are approaching maximum limits while treatment facilities to process and dispose these type wastes have been delayed indefinitely. As a result, these regulations and additional challenges have increased emphasis on recycling and resource recovery. 4 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6090319
• Report Number(s): CONF-9111105-2; ON: DE92003567
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
054000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CLEANING
CONTAMINATION
DECONTAMINATION
ENERGY FACILITIES
FISSION PRODUCTS
GROUND WATER
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ISOTOPES
LAWS
LIQUID WASTES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MINIMIZATION
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORNL
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANNING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RECYCLING
REGULATIONS
REMEDIAL ACTION
RESOURCE RECOVERY ACTS
RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITIES
STORAGE FACILITIES
SURFACE WATERS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER
WATER RECLAMATION