Hazardous and radioactive components

Envirocare of Utah, Inc. (Envirocare) has commercialized the polyethylene encapsulation process developed by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) as an ex situ stabilization technology for hazardous and mixed wastes (wastes with both hazardous and radioactive components). 

Development of superior CBPC products for the wide-ranging applications shown in Fig. 2.1 requires a fundamental understanding of their kinetics of formation and their properties. This topic is extensively addressed in Chapters 4-6. The dissolution model described in these chapters also helps in understanding the role of individual components in formation of ceramics and the end performance of the ceramics. In addition, the dissolution model explains how hazardous and radioactive components are stabilized in a phosphate matrix. The stabilization mechanisms are discussed in Chapters 16 and 17. 

As discussed in Chapter 16, chemical stabilization is a result of conversion of contaminants in a radioactive waste into their insoluble phosphate forms. This conversion is solely dependent on the dissolution kinetics of these components. In general, if these components are in a soluble or even in a sparsely soluble form, they will dissolve in the initially acidic CBPC slurry and react with the phosphate anions. The resultant product will be an insoluble phosphate that will not leach into the groundwater. On the other hand, if a certain radioactive component is not soluble in the acid slurry, it will not be soluble in more neutral groundwater, because the solubility of such components is lower in neutral than in acidic solutions. Such a component will be simply microencapsulated in the phosphate matrix of the CBPC. Thus, the solubility of hazardous and radioactive components is key to chemical immobilization. 

Applicable to subsurface injection of biological nutrients, surfactants, oxidants, and so on that were prepared aboveground Apphcable to the treatment, storage, and disposal of mixed wastes containing both hazardous and radioactive components... 

PEAT, Inc., has developed the thermal destruction and recovery (TDR) system for the treatment of medical, hazardous, and radioactive wastes. An electronic plasma heating system is used to break down wastes into three phases. The ceramic, metal, and off-gas phases can aU be used as commercial products. The technology has been evaluated in treatability studies on infectious medical waste. Department of Defense (DOD) ammunition and energetic materials, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) weapon components, ash, electronic scrap, batteries, asbestos, and organic compounds. 

In addition to the utility plant fly ash, one may also use volcanic fly ash, ash produced from burning municipal solid waste or any other combustion product that contains ash. The role of ash is also important in management of hazardous and radioactive waste because often such waste, if combustible, is incinerated to reduce its volume. The incinerated ash now is richer in inorganic hazardous components and needs to be stabilized. CBPC processes are ideal for stabilizing such ash because, phosphates are ideal materials to stabilize hazardous and radioactive contaminants, but as mentioned before, ash improves the physical and mechanical properties of the end products. Stabilization of such ashes is discussed in Chapters 16 and 17. 

P Reactor Disassqnbty Basins. This condition is based on the restrictions that no radioactive material are allowed except those irradiated reactor components in the K, L- and P-Reactor Disassembly Basins, unirradiated Mark 22 fuel assemblies in the K-Reactor Assembfy Area, and contaminated moderator in the KrReactor Moderator Storage Areas and Purification Area. This is based also on the nature of the fuel and sealed drums aiKi tanks and the precautionary measures taken to prevent the release of hazardous and radioactive material. The impa of normal operatiotu on the fkdlity worker, co-located worker, public, and the environnient is therefore-insigmficant. RC HP personnel will be involved with the movement of irradiated reactor components, contaminated unirradiated fiiel assemblies, and contaminated moderator and will establish ALARA requirmoits for the focility workers as discussed in Section 6.0. 

Mixed wastes usually are referred to as wastes containing both hazardous chemical components, subject to the requirement of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and radioactive components, subject to the require-... 

The ChemChar process is a patented, ex situ method for the treatment of hazardous and mixed wastes using reverse-burn gasification. Organic components of the treated waste are converted to a combustible gas and a dry, inert solid. The solid can be mixed with cement to prevent leaching of radioactive or heavy-metal constituents retained in the char residue after gasification, or the solid can be further reduced by forward-bum gasification. 

The vendor also claims that RadAway can effectively separate mixed waste—waste containing radioactive materials and hazardous solvents. This separation allows the solvent to be disposed of separately from the radioactive component, greatly reducing disposal costs. However, RadAway does not have regulatory approval for mixed waste. 

The term mixed waste refers mainly to waste that contains radionuclides regulated under AEA and hazardous chemical waste regulated under RCRA. Dual regulation of mixed waste has no effect on classification, management, and disposal of the hazardous chemical component or on classification of the radioactive component. The effects of dual regulation of mixed waste on management and disposal of the radioactive component are summarized as follows ... 

Technical requirements on treatment and disposal of spent fuel, high-level waste, and transuranic waste established under AEA should be largely unaffected by the presence of waste classified as hazardous under RCRA Some of these wastes meet technology-based treatment standards for hazardous chemical waste established by EPA (e.gvitrified high-level waste is an acceptable waste form under RCRA). Alternatively, a finding that disposal of the radioactive component of the waste complies with applicable environmental standards established by EPA under AEA can serve to exempt the disposal facility from prohibitions on disposal of restricted hazardous chemical wastes under RCRA [e.g., disposal of mixed transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)]. 

The factors that affect the selection of plasma facing materials for ITER come primarily from the requirements of plasma performance (e.g., need to minimize impurity contamination and the resulting radiation losses in the confined plasma), engineering integrity, component lifetime (e.g., need to withstand thermal stresses, acceptable erosion), and safety (e.g., need to minimize tritium and radioactive dust inventories and avoid explosion hazards). 

Mixed waste contains both radioactive and chemically hazardous materials such as toxic, corrosive, flammable, or explosive materials. The radioactive component may be either HLW or LLW. All liquid HLW is mixed waste, usually in the presence of organic solvents or heavy metals in addition to radioactive components. Disposal of mixed wastes is regulated by the EPA under the Resource Conservation and... 

DOE Order 420.1, Facility Safety, requires the detailed application of that order s requirements to be guided by safety analyses that establish the identification and functions of safety (safety class and safety significant) structures, systems, and components (SSCs) for a facility and establish the significance of safety functions performed by those SSCs. It specifies that nuclear facilities shall be designed with the objective of providing multiple layers of protection to prevent or mitigate the unintended release of radioactive materials to the environment. The safety analyses must consider facility hazards, natural phenomena hazards, and external man-induced hazards. Paragraph 4.4.1 requires safety analyses for hazardous facilities to include the ability of SSCs and personnel to perform their intended safety functions under the effects of natural phenomena. DOE O 420.1 (DOE 1995) incorporates requirements from the cancelled DOE Orders 5480.28, 5480.7A, and 6430.1A(DOE 1993). 

This DBA is defined as an energetic forklift accident, which breaches the target cask, breaches the target, and releases volatile radioactive components in the target with or without a forklift fire. This section is concerned with scenario development. The initiating events, preventative controls, and mitigating controls from the hazard evaluation are analyzed to aid in accident progression development. 

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