Author: L. Thompson

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 12

ISBN-13:

The Department of Energy (DOE) Subsurface Contamination Focus Area (SCFA) sponsored a technology demonstration of non-traditional in situ vitrification (NTISV) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The project team for this demonstration included MSE Technology Applications, Inc., Geosafe Corporation, and LANL. The technology demonstration involved the performance of two large-scale test melts. The first, referred to as the ''cold'' test, was performed on a simulated absorption bed that contained surrogate contaminants. The cold test was conducted in April 1999. The second demonstration, referred to as the ''hot'' test, took place at LANL's Material Disposal Area (MDA) V in April 2000. The hot test was conducted on a portion of an absorption bed that received radionuclide and metal-contaminated wastewater from a laundry facility and a research laboratory from the mid-1940s to the early 1960s. This paper presents the results of drilling and sampling following the hot test at LANL's MDA V. The objectives of the sample collection were to characterize the vitrified mass and the effects of the hot test on the surrounding bedrock. Glass samples were analyzed for total radionuclide and metal content by standard EPA methods, and leachable radionuclide and metal content using Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and Product Consistency Test (PCT) methods.