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

Colloidal Agglomerates in Tank Sludge: Impact on Waste Processing

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/825792· OSTI ID:825792
Insoluble colloidal sludges in hazardous waste streams such as tank wastes can pose serious problems for waste processing, interfering with retrieval, transport, separation, and solidification processes. Properties of sediment layers and sludge suspensions such as slurry viscosities, sedimentation rates, and final sediment densities can vary by orders of magnitude depending on the particle types present, the degree to which the particles agglomerate, and processing parameters such as shear rates, pH, salt content, and temperature. The objectives of this research are to: understand the factors controlling the nature and extent of colloidal agglomeration under expected waste processing conditions; determine how agglomeration phenomena influence physical properties relevant to waste processing including rheology, sedimentation, and filtration; develop strategies for optimizing processing conditions via control of agglomeration phenomena.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA; Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM; University of Washington (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
OSTI ID:
825792
Report Number(s):
EMSP-54628--1999
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English