An annotated bibliography has been compiled of the potential chemical and radiological aging mechanisms of the organic constituents (non-ferrocyanide) that would likely be found in the UST at Hanford. The majority of the work that has been conducted on the aging of organic chemicals used for extraction and processing of nuclear materials has been in conjunction with the acid or PUREX type processes. At Hanford the waste being stored in the UST has been stabilized with caustic. The aging factors that were used in this work were radiolysis, hydrolysis, and nitrite/nitrate oxidation. The purpose of this work was twofold: to determine whether or not research had been or is currently being conducted on the species associated with the Hanford UST waste, either as a mixture or as individual chemicals or chemical functionalities, and to determine what areas of chemical aging need to be addressed by further research. The findings of this search are: • Reported work has encompassed neither the chemical complexity of the tank waste nor the scope of issues necessary to determine the mechanisms or products from aging. • The search revealed relevant studies on two major waste components: two studies on the alkaline hydrolysis (Burger 1955) of TBP and one example of radiolysis of NPH under alkaline (Shcherbak 1960) conditions. • Pathways are enumerated for destruction of the organic compounds, but vagaries due to lack of detailed information about the actual past and present conditions in the tanks (i.e., NO x and oxygen gas contents) and interfacial effects limit our ability to make conclusions about the degree of degradation and their on associated safety issues. • Additional research directed towards elucidating the effects of radiolysis on organic constituents in alkaline conditions as well as the synergistic and inhibitory effects of oxide surface-interactions, metal ion catalysis, mass transfer, solid-liquid interfaces, high concentrations of nitrate and nitrite would be helpful in addressing safety concerns. Most useful would be knowledge of the current state of tank contents obtained by thorough sampling of the problematic tanks.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.