Identification of Non-Pertechnetate Species in Hanford Tank Waste, Their Synthesis, Characterization, and Fundamental Chemistry

Technical Report · Mon May 20 04:00:00 EDT 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/835033· OSTI ID:835033

Schroeder, Norman C; Olivares, Jose A; Ashley, Kenneth R

Technetium, as pertechnetate (TcO4 -), is a mobile species in the environment. This characteristic, along with its long half-life, (99Tc, t1/2 = 213,000 a) makes technetium a major contributor to the long-term hazard associated with low level waste (LLW) disposal. Technetium partitioning from the nuclear waste at DOE sites will be required so that the LLW forms meet DOE performance assessment criteria. Technetium separations assume that technetium exists as TcO4 - in the waste. However, years of thermal, chemical, and radiolytic digestion in the presence of organic material, has transformed much of the TcO4 - into unidentified, stable, reduced, technetium complexes. To successfully partition technetium from tank wastes, it will be necessary to either remove these technetium species with a new process, or reoxidize them to TcO4 - so that conventional pertechnetate separation schemes will be successful.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., Los Alamos, NM; Texas A& M University, Commerce, TX (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
• DOE Contract Number: FG07-01ER63281
• OSTI ID: 835033
• Report Number(s): EMSP-81988-2002
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY
DIGESTION
PERFORMANCE
PERTECHNETATES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SYNTHESIS
TANKS
TECHNETIUM
TECHNETIUM COMPLEXES
WASTES