Reclamation/Recycle of Depleted Uranium and Heavy Metal Alloy Residue from Soils

Contamination of soil with DU and other heavy metals as a result of test and evaluation of ammunition is a major environmental issue within the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE). Burial of contaminated soils at low level radioactive waste disposal sites is prohibitively expensive. Methods to remove DU with particle sizes less than 2mm from soils have not been developed nor demonstrated. the purposes of Phase I of this effort will be to evaluate existing test range soil characterizations at Eglin AFB, evaluate andrank order existing technologies for separating DU from soil and to recommend the one or two technologies which best meet the criteria mutually agreed to by the Air Force and Nuclear Metals, Inc. This proposal identifies numerous soil decontaminationtechnologies and offers a description of four technologies whic have been successfully applied to similar soil decontamination problems. The final report will also identify superfund projects within the state of Florida where dual-use of the recommended technologies may be applied.