Waste processing systems

Freeman, J., Wolf Creek s liquid waste processing system improvements, in Proc. EPRI Int. Low-Level Waste Conf. 2000, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA, 2001. 

Mobile Waste Processing Systems and Treatment Technologies... 

Dhooge P. M. (1987) An electrochemical waste processing system for closed environments. In Proceedings of the 8ih Princeton AIAAjSSI Conference, pp. 90-97. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Washington, D.C. 

Anywhere spent nuclear liiel is handled, there is a chance that iodine-129 and iodine-131 will escape into the environment. Nuclear fuel reprocessing plants dissolve the spent fuel rods in strong acids to recover plutonium and other valuable materials. In the process, they also release iodine-129 and -131 into the airborne, liquid, and solid waste processing systems. In the U.S., spent nuclear fuel is no longer reprocessed, becau.se of concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation. 

The waste processing system has been tailored according to waste categories to produce effluent suitable for reuse, discharge or final disposal. 

The radioactive wastes are processed within the plant with equipment and systems that have been designed for easy maintenance. The waste processing system has been tailored according to waste category to produce effluent suitable for reuse, discharge or final disposal. 

The liquid waste processing system is provided for use in the processing and handling of radioactive wastes generated during various modes of plant operation. The system is designed to receive, segregate, process, monitor, and recycle for reuse all primary... 

Waste processing systems should be designed, operated and maintained in accordance with a programme in which the operational modes of the plant such as startup, full power operation and outages are taken into consideration. 

Since the SMART does not use soluble boron in the primary coolant, the total amount of liquid waste generation would be minimized. This feature simplifies the liquid waste processing system. 

Reinforced furan resias have been used for many years in process piping and in underground sewer or waste-disposal systems. With a wide range in pH acceptability and good solvent resistance, furan piping has been a logical choice for many services. 

Federal regulations (40 CFR 261) classify acrylonitrile as a hazardous waste and it is Hsted as Hazardous Waste Number U009. Disposal must be in accordance with federal (40 CFR 262, 263, 264), state, and local regulations only at properly permitted faciUties. It is Hsted as a toxic pollutant (40 CFR 122.21) and introduction into process streams, storm water, or waste water systems is in violation of federal law. Strict guidelines exist for clean-up and notification of leaks and spills. Federal notification regulations require that spills or leaks in excess of 100 lb (45.5 kg) be reported to the National Response Center. Substantial criminal and civil penalties can result from failure to report such discharges into the environment. 

Generally, recyclables are either coUected at curbside or deposited by consumers at various types of drop-off locations, such as local recycling centers, community service clubs, dealers, and commercial buyback centers. Curbside coUections of recyclables can be accompUshed either in conjunction with the pickup of aU MSW or as a separate activity. Co-coUection systems range from complete commingling of aU waste for later separation at a mixed waste processing facility to transporting essentially source-separated recyclables in the same tmck as MSW. 

Hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of dialkyl and monoalkyl sulfates is a process of considerable iaterest commercially. Successful alkylation ia water requires that the fast reaction of the first alkyl group with water and base be minimised. The very slow reaction of the second alkyl group results ia poor utilisation of the alkyl group and gives an iacreased organic load to a waste-disposal system. Data have accumulated siace 1907 on hydrolysis ia water under acid, neutral, and alkaline conditions, and best conditions and good values for rates have been reported and the subject reviewed (41—50). 

Zirconium phosphate [13772-29-7] also absorbs cesium and other radioactive-decay daughter products, and has been proposed as part of permanent disposal systems for nuclear fuel waste processing. 

The dry powder process has several additional advantages over the wet process. For example, much less waste of enamel occurs because the dry over-spray is airborne and recycled in a closed system. No-pidde ground coats have broadened the apphcation of both wet-process and dry-process systems. These enamels are appHed over cleaned-only metal. Thus the problems of disposing of pickling acid wastes containing iron sulfates and nickel wastes are eliminated (see Metal surface treatments) (7). 

One aspect of the basic equation describing biological treatment of waste that has not been referred to previously is that biomass appears on both sides of the equation. As was indicated above, the only reason that microorganisms function in waste-treatment systems is because it enables them to reproduce. Thus, the quantity of biomass in a waste-treatment system is higher after the treatment process than before it. 

Disposal The final func tional element in the sohd-waste-management system is disposal. Disposal is the ultimate fate of all solid wastes, whether they are wastes collected and transported direc tly to a landfQl site, semisolid wastes (sludge) from industrial treatment plants and air-pollution-control devices, incinerator residue, compost, or other substances from various solid-waste processing plants that are of no further use. 

The handling, storage, and processing of sohd wastes at the source before they are collected is tne second of the six functional elements in the sohd-waste-management system. 

Because many of the techniques, especially those associated with the recovery of materials and energy and the processing of solid hazardous wastes, are in a state of flux with respect to application and design criteria, the objective here is only to introduce them to the reader. If these techniques are to be considered in the development of waste-management systems, current engineering design and performance data must be obtained from consultants, operating records, field tests, equipment manufacturers, and available literature. 

Processing Techniques for Solid Wastes Processing techniques are used in solid-waste-management systems to (I) improve the efficiency of the systems, (2) to recover resources (usable materials), and (3) to prepare materials for recoveiy of conversion produc ts and energy. The more important techniques used for processing solid wastes are summarized in Tables 25-61 and 25-62. 

Other problems concerning transportation systems, waste processing and recycling systems, nahonal priorities, international economics, employment versus environmental quality, and personal freedoms will continue to surface. The choices will have to be made, ideally by educated citizens and charismatic leaders. 

---