Development of a low cost, low environmental impact process for disposal of nitrate wastes. [Pseudoponas stutzeri; scrap enriched uranium purification]

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1975

OSTI ID:7352020

Napier, J M

A uranium recycle process in the Y-12 Plant generates nitrate ions which must be discarded. Scrap enriched uranium is dissolved in nitric acid and solvent extracted to remove impurities from the uranium. Aluminum nitrate is also used in the process to remove the purified uranium from the solvent extraction process. Dilute nitric acid, aluminum nitrate, and metallic impurities must be discarded from this process. A program was started to develop a low cost, low environmental impact process for disposal of these nitrate wastes. Several disposal methods were considered. A process was selected which included: distillation and recycle of nitric acid; crystallization and recycle of aluminum nitrate; and biodegradation of the remaining nitrate waste solutions. For this presentation, only the biodegradation process will be discussed. A colony of Pseudomonas stutzeri, which is capable of using the nitrate ion as the oxygen supply, was used. An excess of organic material was used to insure that the maximum amount of nitrate was destroyed.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, Tenn. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 7352020
• Report Number(s): Y-DA-6347; CONF-7506126-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Management
054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
530100 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Social & Economic Studies-- (-1989)
ACTINIDES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM NITRATES
BACTERIA
BIODEGRADATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
CRYSTALLIZATION
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
FLUIDS
FUEL CYCLE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PSEUDOMONAS
PURIFICATION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
URANIUM
US AEC
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
Y-12 PLANT