Tank waste treatment R and D activities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory Page: 2 of 18
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TANK WASTE TREATMENT R&D ACTIVITIES
AT OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
R. T. Jubin, D. D. Lee,
E. C. Beahm, J. L. Collins, D. J. Davidson, B. Z. Egan,
A. J. Mattus, R. D. Spence, and J. F. Walker
Chemical Technology Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Abstract
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) served as the pilot plant for the Hanford production facility during
the 1940s. As a result, the waste contained in the ORNL storage tanks has similarities to waste found at other
sites, but it is typically 10 to 100 times less radioactive. It is estimated that nearly 4.9 million liters of legacy
waste is stored on the site of ORNL. Of this volume about one-fifth is transuranic sludges. The remainder
of the waste volume is classified as low-level waste. The waste contains approximately 130,000 Ci,
composed primarily of 1"Cs, 90Sr; and small amounts of other fission products. The wastes were originally
acidic in nature but were neutralized using Na2CO3, NaOH, or CaO to allow their storage in tanks constructed
of carbon steel or concrete (Gunite). In addition to the legacy waste, about 57,000 L of concentrated waste
is generated annually, which contains about 13,000 Ci, consisting primarily of 13Cs, 90Sr, and small amounts
of other fission products (TFA 1996). As part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Environmental
Management Tanks Focus Area and Efficient Separations and Processing programs, a number of tasks are
under way at ORNL to address the wastes currently stored in tanks across the DOE complex. This paper
summarizes the efforts in three of these tasks: (1) the treatment of the tank supernatant to remove Cs, Tc, and
Sr; (2) the leaching or washing of the sludges to reduce the volume of waste to be vitrified; and (3) the
immobilization of the sludges.
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Jubin, R. T.; Lee, D. D.; Beahm, E. C.; Collins, J. L.; Davidson, D. J.; Egan, B. Z. et al. Tank waste treatment R and D activities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, article, August 1, 1997; Tennessee. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc693611/m1/2/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.