Search citation statements
Paper Sections
Citation Types
Year Published
Publication Types
Relationship
Authors
Journals
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) is engaging the national laboratories to provide the scientific and technological rigor to support EM program and project planning, technology development and deployment, project execution, and assessment of program outcomes. As an early demonstration of this new responsibility, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) have been chartered to implement a science and technology program addressing low-temperature waste forms for immobilization of DOE aqueous waste streams, including technetium removal as an implementing technology. As a first step, the laboratories examined the technical risks and uncertainties associated with the Cast Stone waste immobilization projects at Hanford. Science and technology needs were identified for work associated with 1) conducting performance assessments and risk assessments of waste form and disposal system performance, and 2) technetium chemistry in tank wastes and separations of technetium from waste processing streams. Technical approaches to address the science and technology needs were identified and an initial sequencing priority was suggested. The following table summarizes the most significant science and technology needs and associated approaches to address those needs. These approaches and priorities will be further refined and developed as strong integrated teams of researchers from national laboratories, contractors, industry, and academia are brought together to provide the best science and technology solutions.Implementation of a science and technology program that addresses these needs by pursuing the identified approaches will have immediate benefits to DOE in reducing risks and uncertainties associated with near-term decisions regarding supplemental immobilization at Hanford. Longer term, the work has the potential for cost savings and for providing a strong technical foundation for future performance assessments at Hanford and across the DOE complex.
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) is engaging the national laboratories to provide the scientific and technological rigor to support EM program and project planning, technology development and deployment, project execution, and assessment of program outcomes. As an early demonstration of this new responsibility, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) have been chartered to implement a science and technology program addressing low-temperature waste forms for immobilization of DOE aqueous waste streams, including technetium removal as an implementing technology. As a first step, the laboratories examined the technical risks and uncertainties associated with the Cast Stone waste immobilization projects at Hanford. Science and technology needs were identified for work associated with 1) conducting performance assessments and risk assessments of waste form and disposal system performance, and 2) technetium chemistry in tank wastes and separations of technetium from waste processing streams. Technical approaches to address the science and technology needs were identified and an initial sequencing priority was suggested. The following table summarizes the most significant science and technology needs and associated approaches to address those needs. These approaches and priorities will be further refined and developed as strong integrated teams of researchers from national laboratories, contractors, industry, and academia are brought together to provide the best science and technology solutions.Implementation of a science and technology program that addresses these needs by pursuing the identified approaches will have immediate benefits to DOE in reducing risks and uncertainties associated with near-term decisions regarding supplemental immobilization at Hanford. Longer term, the work has the potential for cost savings and for providing a strong technical foundation for future performance assessments at Hanford and across the DOE complex.
Vitrification is the primary disposition path for Low Activity Waste (LAW) at the Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. A cementitious waste form is one of the alternatives being considered for the supplemental immobilization of the LAW that will not be treated by the primary vitrification facility. Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) has been directed to generate and collect data on cementitious or pozzolanic waste forms such as Cast Stone. This report documents work done to support supplemental immobilization efforts by performing testing on actual salt wastes immobilized in Cast Stone. The actual waste used in testing was a Savannah River Site (SRS) salt solution from Tank 50 H-area Tank Farm that was chemically adjusted with aluminum hydroxide, ammonium phosphate, and ammonium sulfate to represent Hanford salt waste. Radioactive Tc-99 and natural iodide-127 were also added to match previous simulant Tc-99 spike studies and to provide enough iodide for detection in the aqueous leachates. Using a chemically adjusted SRS salt waste avoided sampling, transportation and permitting issues, which would have been required for actual Hanford tank waste, while providing a readily available and representative sample for testing. Chemical adjustment of the SRS Tank 50 sample was verified by analysis showing targeted concentrations were achieved. Duplicate 2" x 4" 'baseline' monoliths were made using the adjusted Tank 50 salt solution and dry blend materials (premix) of ordinary portland cement (OPC), Class F fly ash (FA) and ground, granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) for a free water to premix ratio of 0.55. Three other sets of monoliths were made using various getters that included Potassium Metal Sulfide (KMS)-2 (K 2 MgSn 2 S 6), tin apatite (Sn 2 Ca 8 (PO 4) 6 Cl 2) and silver zeolite (Ag 84 Na 2 [(AlO 2) 86 (SiO 2) 106 ]•xH 2 O). The getters replaced mass from the premix, mass for mass, maintaining the effective premix ratio of 0.55. Monoliths were leach tested in reagent water using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 1315 which is designed to provide mass transfer rates (release rates) of inorganic analytes contained in monolithic material under diffusion controlled release conditions as a function of leaching time. All initial species monolith concentrations used in the reported leachability index (LI) values are based on asbatched concentrations, i.e., no actual dissolution and characterization was performed on the monolithic cast stone matrix. As-batched species concentrations in the monoliths were based on analyzed adjusted Tank 50 supernate, previous analysis of premix components and calculated getter concentrations that are based on simple getter empirical formulas. Chemical adjustment of the SRS Tank 50 salt solution by the addition of Al, sulfate, phosphate and Tc-99 species, as well as natural iodide, met target levels as determined by chemical and radiochemical analysis. Monolith leach tests indicate no significant differences in the observed diffusivities (D obs) for these tes...
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.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.