Division of Waste Management Programs progress report, January--June 1978. [ILW solidification; chemical processing of combustible solid waste (RADTU); acid digestion of commercial solid waste]

Technical Report · Fri Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6499552· OSTI ID:6499552

Lerch, R. E.; Allen, C. R. ^[1]

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1. comps.

The scope of the Radioactive Acid Digestion Test Unit (RADTU) mission was changed from a strictly demonstration function to a joint R and D-production function. The RADTU will be used to process combustible transuranic contaminated defense waste from Hanford's Z-Plant. The unit was operated in a series of test runs totaling 160 hours during which approximately 500 kg of combustible waste was processed. A separate off-gas stack was added to the RADTU enabling operation of the acid recycle equipment. This eliminated secondary liquid wastes from the process. Additional laboratory tests were completed to determine the solubilities of thorium oxide and uranium oxide in the acid digestion system. Thorium oxide was slowly converted to thorium sulfate which is readily soluble in dilute nitric acid or water. The solubility of thorium sulfate in the concentrated sulfuric acid digestion solution was about 0.1 g/l. Uranium oxide, on the other hand, was very soluble in the concentrated sulfuric acid having a solubility greater than or equal to 440 g/l. Laboratory tests were performed to evaluate the effect of process variables on the rate of acid digestion. Of five variables evaluated, only temperature and nitric acid addition rate had significant effects on digestion rate. 8 figures, 5 tables.

• Research Organization: Hanford Engineering Development Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-14-2170
• OSTI ID: 6499552
• Report Number(s): HEDL-TME-78-73
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Management
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
DATA FORMS
DIGESTION
DISSOLUTION
ELASTOMERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
ISOLATED VALUES
MANAGEMENT
NITRIC ACID
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PAPER
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POLYETHYLENES
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RUBBERS
SOLID WASTES
SOLIDIFICATION
SOLUBILITY
SULFURIC ACID
THORIUM COMPOUNDS
THORIUM OXIDES
TIME DEPENDENCE
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES