Independent DOE document. The summary below is provided for reference and search; full bibliographic details are in the citation at the foot of this page.
01 Overview
The U.S. DOE evaluated sorbents to solidify and immobilize the organic fraction of plutonium/uranium extraction (PUREX) process waste at the Savannah River Site as a cost-effective alternative to incineration (the Consolidated Incinerator Facility being shut down). Building on SRS's 2001 bench-scale feasibility study, MSE Technology Applications scaled up the down-selected sorbents — including PETROSET II and PETROSET II Granular, alongside Imbiber Beads and Nochar A610 — to 22-liter (5-gallon) and 242-liter (55-gallon) scale, evaluating sorbent capacity, sorption rate, handling and mixing, plus final waste-form ignitability, thermal stability, off-gas, leachability and volumetric expansion.
02 Why this matters
- Scale-up, not just bench: carries the 2003 feasibility findings up to 5- and 55-gallon drums — the scale that actually governs disposal packaging.
- A real disposal need: SRS holds roughly 167,000 liters (38,000 gallons) of legacy PUREX waste needing an alternative to incineration.
- PETROSET II front and center: both standard and granular PETROSET II carried through to drum scale.
03 Citation
Bickford, J. L.; Joyce, H. O. (MSE Technology Applications, Inc.); Holmes-Burns, H. (Westinghouse Savannah River Company). Sorbent Testing for Solidification of Organic Plutonium/Uranium Extraction Waste – Phase IV. WM'06 Conference, Tucson, AZ, February 2006.