Leaching of solidified TRU-contaminated incinerator ash. [Portland cement, urea-formaldehyde, polyester-styrene, and Pioneer 221 bitumen]

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6773338

Fuhrmann, M; Colombo, P

Leach rate and cumulative fractional releases of plutonium were determined for a series of laboratory-scale waste forms containing transuranic (TRU) contaminated incinerator ash. The solidification agents from which these waste forms were produced are commercially available materials for radioactive waste disposal. The leachants simulate groundwaters with chemical compositions that are indiginous to different geological media proposed for repositories. In this study TRU-contaminated ash was incorporated into waste forms fabricated with portland type I cement, urea-formaldehyde, polyester-styrene or Pioneer 221 bitumen. The ash was generated at the dual-chamber incinerator at the Rocky Flats Plant. These waste forms contained between 1.25 x 10/sup -2/ and 4.4 x 10/sup -2/ Ci (depending on the solidification agent) of mixed TRU isotopes comprised primarily of /sup 239/Pu and /sup 240/Pu. Five leachant solutions were prepared consisting of: (1) demineralized water, (2) simulated brine, (3) simplified sodium-dominated groundwater (30 meq NaCl/liter), (4) simplified calcium-dominated groundwater (30 meq CaCl/sub 2//liter), and (5) simplified bicarbonate-dominated groundwater (30 meq NaHCO/sub 3//liter). Cumulative fractional releases were found to vary significantly with different leachants and solidification agents. In all cases waste forms leached in brine gave the lowest leach rates. Urea-formaldehyde had the greatest release of radionuclides while polyester-styrene and portland cement had approximately equivalent fractional releases. Cement cured for 210 days retained radionuclides three times more effectively than cement cured only 30 days.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 6773338
• Report Number(s): BNL-34825; CONF-840614-63; ON: DE84013128
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360405 -- Materials-- Polymers & Plastics-- Degradation & Erosion-- (-1987)
360604 -- Materials-- Corrosion
Erosion
& Degradation
ALDEHYDES
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
AMIDES
AROMATICS
ASHES
BITUMENS
BRINES
BUILDING MATERIALS
CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES
CEMENTS
DATA
DISSOLUTION
ESTERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FORMALDEHYDE
HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
LEACHING
MATERIALS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLYESTERS
POLYMERS
PORTLAND CEMENT
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RESIDUES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STYRENE
TAR
UREA
WASTE FORMS
WASTES