AN INNOVATIVE METHOD OF TREATING SPENT ORGANIC RESINS CONTAINING RADIONUCLEAR WASTE

PHASE I WILL DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A PROCESS FOR TREATING SPENT ORGANIC RESINS CONTAINING RADIONUCLEAR WASTE. SINCE RESINS ARE HYDROPHILIC, THEY COMPETE WITH CEMENT FOR WATER DURING THE CURING PROCESS. ALSO, THE RESINSHRINKS AND SWELLS BECAUSE OF REABSORPTION OF WATER; THIS RESULTS IN DEFORMATION AND CRACKING OF THE CEMENT/RESIN SOLID. THE PRESENT METHOD WILL ELIMINATE THE ORGANIC COMPONENTS OF THE RESIN WASTE, REMOVE EXCESS WATER, AND RETAIN THE INORGANIC COMPONENTS. THE REMAINING MASS CAN BE CONTAINED IN A LEACH-RESISTANT SLAG OR GLASS, WHICH CAN BE READILY BLENDED WITH CEMENT TO FORM A STABLE LEACH- RESISTANT SOLID. REMOVAL OF THE WATER AND ORGANICS FROM THE SPENT RESIN RESULTS IN AT LEAST A TENFOLD REDUCTION IN THE VOLUME OF RESIN WASTE. THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS PROCESS ARE THAT IT: ELIMINATES THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH RESIN SHRINKAGE AND SWELLING; ELIMINATES ORGANICS AND WATER WHILE RETAINING INORGANICS, EFFECTIVELY REDUCING THE RESIN WASTE VOLUME; PROVIDES A MOBILE SYSTEM FOR ONSITE USE THAT CAN BE RUN IN BATCH OR CONTINUOUS MODE; AND IS AN ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENT SYSTEM THAT CAN BE RUN ON A LARGE OR SMALL SCALE. PHASE I WILL PROVIDE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHEMISTRY AND PROCESS PARAMETERS, THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MATERIALS, AND AN ESTIMATE OF THE QUALITY OF THE FINAL PRODUCT. IT WILL IDENTIFY THE CRITICALOPERATIONAL PARAMETERS AND PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR DEVELOPING A SCALED-UP PROTOTYPE IN PHASE II.