Improving the Characterization and Treatment of Radioactive Wastes for the Department of Energy's Accelerated Site Cleanup Program
Improving the Characterization and Treatment of Radioactive Wastes for the Department of Energy's Accelerated Site Cleanup Program

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2005-02-06

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 030909299X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM) directs the massive cleanup of more than 100 sites that were involved in the production of nuclear weapons materials during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. This report offers suggestions for more effectively characterizing and treating the orphan and special-case wastes that are part of EM's accelerated cleanup program. It identifies technical opportunities for EM to improve the program that will save time and money without compromising health and safety. The opportunities identified include: making more effective use of existing facilities and capabilities for waste characterization, treatment, or disposal; eliminating self-imposed requirements that have no clear technical or safety basis; and investing in new technologies to improve existing treatment and characterization capabilities. For example, the report suggests that EM work with DOE classification officers to declassify, to the extent possible, classified materials declared as wastes. The report also suggests a new approach for treating the wastes that EM will leave in place after cleanup.

Nuclear Waste
Nuclear Waste

Author: Gary L. Jones

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2001-09

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 9780756716905

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The West Valley nuclear facility (WVNF), in W. NY State, was built to convert spent nuclear fuel (NF) from comm'l. reactors into reusable nuclear fuel. However, the market for reprocessed NF was limited; new, more restrictive health and safety standards raised concerns about the facility; and there was concern about reprocessed NF being used to make nuclear weapons. The WVNF was permanently shutdown in the 1970s, and cleanup began in the 1980s. This report examines: the status of the cleanup; factors that may be hindering the cleanup; the degree of certainty in the DoE's est. of total cleanup costs and schedule; and the degree to which the WVNF cleanup may reflect larger cleanup challenges.

Nuclear Waste Cleanup Technologies and Opportunities
Nuclear Waste Cleanup Technologies and Opportunities

Author: Robert Noyes

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 1995-12-31

Total Pages: 473

ISBN-13: 0815518455

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

One of the largest, most complicated and expensive environmental problems in the United States is the cleanup of nuclear wastes. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has approximately 4,000 contaminated sites covering tens of thousands of acres and replete with contaminated hazardous or radioactive waste, soil, or structures. In addition to high-level waste, it has more than 250,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste and millions of cubic meters of low-level radio-active waste. In addition, DOE is responsible for thousands of facilities awaiting decontamination, decommissioning, and dismantling. DOE and its predecessors have been involved in the management of radioactive wastes since 1943, when such wastes were first generated in significant quantities as by-products of nuclear weapons production. Waste connected with DOE's nuclear weapons complex has been accumulating as a result of various operations spanning over five decades. The cost estimates for nuclear waste cleanup in the United States have been rapidly rising. It has recently been estimated to be in a range from $200 to $350 billion. Costs could vary considerably based on future philosophies as to whether to isolate certain sites (the ""iron fence"" philosophy), or clean them up to a pristine condition (the ""greenfields"" philosophy). Funding will also be based on Congressional action that may reduce environmental cleanup, based on budget considerations.

Nuclear Waste Cleanup Technologies and Opportunities
Nuclear Waste Cleanup Technologies and Opportunities

Author: Robert Noyes

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-01-15

Total Pages: 473

ISBN-13: 0080946194

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

One of the largest, most complicated and expensive environmental problems in the United States is the cleanup of nuclear wastes. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has approximately 4,000 contaminated sites covering tens of thousands of acres and replete with contaminated hazardous or radioactive waste, soil, or structures. In addition to high-level waste, it has more than 250,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste and millions of cubic meters of low-level radio-active waste. In addition, DOE is responsible for thousands of facilities awaiting decontamination, decommissioning, and dismantling. DOE and its predecessors have been involved in the management of radioactive wastes since 1943, when such wastes were first generated in significant quantities as by-products of nuclear weapons production. Waste connected with DOE's nuclear weapons complex has been accumulating as a result of various operations spanning over five decades. The cost estimates for nuclear waste cleanup in the United States have been rapidly rising. It has recently been estimated to be in a range from $200 to $350 billion. Costs could vary considerably based on future philosophies as to whether to isolate certain sites (the ""iron fence"" philosophy), or clean them up to a pristine condition (the ""greenfields"" philosophy). Funding will also be based on Congressional action that may reduce environmental cleanup, based on budget considerations.