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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Beneficial reuse of US DOE Radioactive scrap metal

Conference ·
OSTI ID:78599

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has more than 2.5 million tons of radioactive scrap metal (RSM) that is either in inventory or expected to be generated over the next 25 years as major facilities within the weapons complex are decommissioned. Since much of this metal cannot be decontaminated easily, past practice has been to either retain this material in inventory or ship it to DOE disposal sites for burial. In an attempt to conserve natural resources and to avoid burial of this material at DOE disposal sites, options are now being explored to ``beneficially reuse`` this material. Under the beneficial reuse concept, RSM that cannot be decontaminated and free released is used in applications where the inherent contamination is not a detriment to its end use. This paper describes initiatives currently in progress in the United States that support the DOE beneficial reuse concept.

Research Organization:
Fernald Environmental Restoration Management Corp., Cincinnati, OH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC24-92OR21972
OSTI ID:
78599
Report Number(s):
FEMP--2347; CONF-950917--8; ON: DE95007826
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English