The Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU), a first-of-a-kind, 53,000-square-foot facility, will treat 900,000 gallons of liquid radioactive and hazardous waste that has been stored in underground storage tanks.
The waste that will be treated – called sodium bearing waste – was generated from operations at Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). The liquid is stored in three stainless steel 300,000 gallon storage tanks that are part of a tank farm of 15 tanks.
IWTU, located east of INTEC, will use a steam reforming technology to convert the liquid to a solid, granular material; packaging it in stainless steel canisters; and storing the containers in concrete vaults at the site.
Any emissions generated during the treatment campaign will be filtered through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) and Granulated Activated Charcoal filters and sampled to ensure regulatory requirements are met. Steam reforming is used successfully in a variety of
chemical and petrochemical applications. It is currently being used at a facility in Erwin, Tenn., to primarily treat radioactive resin wastes from commercial nuclear facilities.
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