Nonthermal stabilization

The typical approach to nonthermal stabilization for waste streams containing inorganic contaminants is chemical immobilization. In this approach, low-cost stabilizing chemicals are added to the waste stream, and contaminants are chemically treated to render them harmless. Such a treatment, if conducted at ambient temperature, is ideal for handling high waste volumes at low cost, provided the waste volume is not increased excessively during the treatment (higher volume may raise the transportation and disposal costs). Thus, the major constraint for nonthermal treatment is that the waste volume increase be kept to a minimum. 

The TGA shows that these macromolecules are stable up to at least 270°C except the block copolymer based on VCN. The nonthermal stability of this copolymer arises from the fact that PVCN is known for its low degradation temperature [52]. 

Waste may be stabilized or solidified by either thermal or non thermal treatments. Thermal treatments are ideal for destmction of organic contaminants. They reduce the volume of the waste and, hence, disposal costs. They are, however, energy intensive and more expensive than nonthermal methods, and release volatile elements that need to be contained. If the waste stream contains inorganic contaminants, the residue left after the thermal treatment is often more concentrated in these contaminants because they cannot be destroyed by such treatment. They also contaminate equipment such as furnaces and filters used during the treatment, which also ultimately need proper disposal. Thus, there is... 

---