Hydrothermal treatment of Hanford waste constituents. [Wet Oxidation Processes]

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7117605

Dell'Orco, P C ^[1]; Foy, B R; Robinson, J M; Buelow, S J ^[2]

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1. Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States). Environmenal and Water Resources Engineering
2. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)

The destruction of nitrates, organics, and ferrocyanides contained in underground storage tanks at the Department of Energy Hanford site in Washington state would significantly reduce the volume, hazard, and toxicity of the waste, while meeting pretreatment requirements for vitrification and grouting. The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of supercritical water oxidation for the destruction of nitrates organics, and ferrocyanides. Laboratory studies were performed studying oxidation/reduction reactions of nitrate with a simple organic compound, methanol, and with ammonia. Additional studies examined the reaction of nitrate with ferrocyanide. When reacted with methanol above 500{degrees}C, greater than 99% of the nitrate was destroyed at the shortest residence times (< 6 seconds). At the same conditions, greater than 80% of the methanol was converted to bicarbonate and carbon dioxide. Studies involving the reaction of nitrate and nitrite with ammonia indicated that the reaction proceeds to completion in short residence times at temperatures above the critical point of water (374.2{degrees}C). Ferrocyanide to also reacted rapidly with nitrate above the critical point, to produce carbon dioxide and ammonia.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 7117605
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-92-2508; CONF-920808--3; ON: DE92018995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALCOHOLS
AMMONIUM CHLORIDES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
AMMONIUM HALIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COMPLEXES
FERROCYANIDES
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HANFORD RESERVATION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IRON COMPLEXES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METHANOL
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REMOVAL
STORAGE
TEMPERATURE RANGE
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
TOXIC MATERIALS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPLEXES
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
YIELDS