National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy 1995 Review

Committee on Environmental Management Technologies

Board on Radioactive Waste Management

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1996

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by the Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The work was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Contract No. DE–FC01–94EW54069/R. All opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Energy.

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 96–67829

International Standard Book Number 0-309-05481-8

Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Box 285 Washington, D.C. 20055 800–624–6242 202–334–3313 (in the Washington Metropolitan Area)

B722

Copyright 1996 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Cover: View of radioactive waste inside an underground storage tank at the Hanford Site, near Richland, Washington. Photo courtesy of Westinghouse Hanford Co. Special thanks to Jan Hansen.

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES

EDWIN E. KINTNER, Chair,

GPU Nuclear Corp. (retired), Norwich, Vermont

FRANK L. PARKER*,

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

MELVIN W. CARTER,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta (emeritus)

THOMAS A. COTTON,

JK Research Associates, Inc., Arlington, Virginia

GARY A. DAVIS,

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

PAUL DEJONGHE,

Study Centre for Nuclear Research, Mol, Belgium

GHISLAIN DE MARSIL Y,

University of Paris, France

MARSHALL E. DRUMMOND,

Eastern Washington University, Cheney

B. JOHN GARRICK,

PLG, Inc., Newport Beach, California

PETER B. MYERS, Consultant,

Silver Spring, Maryland

GEORGE W. PARSHALL, Consultant,

Wilmington, Delaware

LYNNE M. PRESLO,

Earth Tech, Berkeley, California

PAUL V. ROBERTS,

Stanford University, Stanford, California

C. HERB WARD,

Rice University, Houston, Texas

RAYMOND G. WYMER, Consultant,

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Staff

CARL A. ANDERSON, Director, BRWM

KARYANIL T. THOMAS, Study Director

THOMAS E. KIESS, Program Officer

SUSAN B. MOCKLER, Research Associate

ROBIN L. ALLEN, Senior Project Assistant

PATRICIA A. JONES, Project Assistant

*  

Chair, until September 1995.

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

SUBCOMMITTEE ON DECONTAMINATION AND DECOMMISSIONING

PETER B. MYERS, Chair, Consultant,

Silver Spring, Maryland

PATRICIA ANN BAISDEN,

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California

SOL BURSTEIN,

Wisconsin Electric Power Milwaukee, Wisconsin (retired)

JOSEPH S BYRD,

University of South Carolina, Columbia

BRUCE W. CLEMENS,

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

FRANK P. CRIMI,

Lockheed Environmental Systems, Saratoga, California

ROBERT A. FJELD,

Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

LINDA WENNERBERG, Consultant,

Dorchester, Massachusetts

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONTAMINANT PLUMES

MELVIN W. CARTER, Chair,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta (emeritus)

PHILIP E. BEDIENT,

Rice University, Houston, Texas

JOHN C. FOUNTAIN,

State University of New York, Buffalo

VICTOR G. GULAS,

Montgomery Watson, Boulder, Colorado

LYNNE M. PRESLO,

Earth Tech, Berkeley, California

CURTIS C. TRAVIS,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

WALTER J. WEBER, JR.,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

SUBCOMMITTEE ON LANDFILLS

C. HERB WARD, Chair,

Rice University, Houston, Texas

KENT D. BAUGH,

OHM Remediation Services Corporation, Pleasanton, California

KIRK W. BROWN,

Texas A&M University, College Station

RICHARD A. CONWAY,

Union Carbide Corporation, South Charleston, West Virginia

WILLIAM P. DORNSIFE,

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Harrisburg

FREDERICK G. POHLAND,

University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

VERN C. ROGERS,

Rogers & Associates Engineering Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah

LOUIS J. THIBODEAUX,

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HIGH-LEVEL WASTE IN TANKS

B. JOHN GARRICK, Chair,

PLG, Inc., Newport Beach, California

VICKI M. BIER,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

ALLEN G. CROFF,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

MARTIN J. STEINDLER,

Argonne National Laboratory, Downers Grove, Illinois (retired)

CLAUDE G. SOMBRET, Consultant,

Villeneuve Les Avignon, France

RAYMOND G. WYMER, Consultant,

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

SUBCOMMITTEE ON MIXED WASTES

PAUL DEJONGHE, Chair,

Study Centre for Nuclear Research, Mol, Belgium

ANN N. CLARKE,

Eckenfelder, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee

GARY A. DAVIS,

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

JURGEN H. EXNER,

JHE Technology Systems, Inc., Alamo, California

ROBERT D. WATERS,

Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Subcommittee Staff

KARYANIL T. THOMAS, Study Director

THOMAS E. KIESS, Program Officer

SUSAN B. MOCKLER, Research Associate

ROBIN L. ALLEN, Senior Project Assistant

PATRICIA A. JONES, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

BOARD ON RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

MICHAEL C. KAVANAUGH, Chair,

ENVIRON Corporation, Emeryville, California

B. JOHN GARRICK, Vice-Chair,

PLG, Inc., Newport Beach, California

JOHN F. AHEARNE,

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

JEAN M. BAHR,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

SOL BURSTEIN,

Wisconsin Electric Power, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (retired)

ANDREW P. CAPUTO,

Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D. C.

MELVIN W. CARTER,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta (emeritus)

PAUL P. CRAIG,

University of California at Davis (emeritus)

MARY R. ENGLISH,

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

ROBERT D. HATCHER,

University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Knoxville

DARLEANE C. HOFFMAN,

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California

JAMES H. JOHNSON, JR.,

Howard University, Washington, D.C.

ROBERT MEYER,

Keystone Scientific, Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado

PERRY L. McCARTY,

Stanford University, Stanford, California (CGER Liaison)

CHARLES McCOMBIE, NAGRA,

Wettingen, Switzerland

PRISCILLA P. NELSON,

University of Texas, Austin

D. KIRK NORDSTROM,

U.S. Geological Survey, Boulder, Colorado

D. WARNER NORTH,

Decision Focus, Inc., Mountain View, California

GLENN PAULSON,

Paulson & Cooper, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

PAUL SLOVIC,

Decision Research, Eugene, Oregon

BENJAMIN L. SMITH, Independent Consultant,

Columbia, Tennessee

Staff

CARL A. ANDERSON, Director

KEVIN D. CROWLEY, Associate Director

ROBERT S. ANDREWS, Senior Staff Officer

KARYANIL T. THOMAS, Senior Staff Officer

THOMAS E. KIESS, Staff Officer

SUSAN B. MOCKLER, Research Associate

LISA J. CLENDENING, Administrative Associate

ROBIN L. ALLEN, Senior Project Assistant

REBECCA BURKA, Senior Project Assistant

DENNIS L. DUPREE, Senior Project Assistant

PATRICIA A. JONES, Project Assistant

ANGELA R. TAYLOR, Project Assistant

ERIKA L. WILLIAMS, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES

M. GORDON WOLMAN, Chair,

The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

PATRICK R. ATKINS,

Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

JAMES P. BRUCE,

Canadian Climate Program Board, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

WILLIAM L. FISHER,

University of Texas, Austin

JERRY F. FRANKLIN,

University of Washington, Seattle

GEORGE M. HORNBERGER,

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

DEBRA KNOPMAN,

Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.

PERRY L. MCCARTY,

Stanford University, Stanford, California

JUDITH E. MCDOWELL,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

S. GEORGE PHILANDER,

Princeton University, New Jersey

RAYMOND A. PRICE,

Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada

THOMAS C. SCHELLING,

University of Maryland, College Park

ELLEN SILBERGELD,

University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore

STEVEN M. STANLEY,

The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,

Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida

Staff

STEPHEN RATTIEN, Executive Director

STEPHEN D. PARKER, Associate Executive Director

MORGAN GOPNIK, Assistant Executive Director

GREGORY SYMMES, Reports Officer

JAMES MALLORY, Administrative Officer

SANDI FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate

SUSAN SHERWIN, Project Assistant

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Harold Liebowitz is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government, and upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. Harold Liebowitz are the chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

Preface

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established its Office of Environmental Management (EM) in November 1989. The primary goal of the EM program is to clean up the legacy of environmental pollution at DOE weapons complex facilities throughout the nation. This undertaking costs billions of dollars each year, and its magnitude and complexity demand that related technology development and use be optimized and cost effective, while also reducing risks to public health and meeting program goals and schedules.

At the request of DOE's Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, Thomas Grumbly, the National Research Council (NRC) formed the Committee on Environmental Management Technologies (CEMT) to provide DOE-EM with continuing independent review and recommendations on technology development and use. (CEMT's formal Statement of Task is presented in Appendix B.) The CEMT membership (see biographical sketches in Appendix C) was constituted to represent the broad span of disciplines required to address its charge. This report is intended to be helpful to those responsible for managing DOE's large and important technology-development programs. The committee will produce a yearly report; the first, published in 1995, describes CEMT's 1994 activities.

CEMT convened its first meeting in December 1994, in Washington, D.C. Open sessions included presentations by NRC Chairman Bruce Alberts, Assistant Secretary for DOE-EM Thomas Grumbly, and DOE Deputy Assistant Secretaries for Environmental Restoration, Waste Management, Technology Development, and Facility Transition and Management. Three invited talks by non-U.S. scientists provided some international perspectives on tank wastes, ground-water cleanup, and mixed wastes. In addition, representatives of DOE-EM's five focus areas gave detailed accounts of their ongoing and proposed work. These five focus areas form the core organization of the DOE-EM tasks: (1) Contaminant Plume Containment and Remediation; (2) Landfill Stabilization; (3) High-Level Radioactive Waste Tank

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×

Remediation; (4) Mixed-Waste Characterization, Treatment and Disposal; and (5) Facility Transitioning, Decommissioning and Final Disposition.

During 1995, CEMT met three times: March 22-23 at the National Research Council, Washington, D.C.; July 31-August 1 at the J. Erik Jonsson Woods Hole Center in Woods Hole, Mass.; and December 6-8 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif. During the first meeting, presentations were made by senior officials from the DOE, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. At the second meeting, presentations were made by DOE officials and members of organizations carrying out waste remediation functions at the Savannah River Site. At its third meeting, CEMT reviewed the reports of its five subcommittees, received a report from a DOE representative on what actions had been taken in response to the recommendations of CEMT's report for 1994 activities, and prepared this report for 1995 activities.

CEMT wishes to thank members of the DOE-EM staff for their cooperation in presenting material to the committee and its subcommittees, and members of the NRC staff, especially K. T. Thomas, Thomas Kiess, Susan B. Mockler, Patricia A. Jones, and Robin L. Allen, for their support.

EDWIN E. KINTNER

CHAIR, CEMT

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1996. Environmental Management Technology-Development Program at the Department of Energy: 1995 Review. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5172.
×
   

     In-Situ Remediation of TCE - A Productive Industry/DOE/EPA Demonstration Using LASAGNATM,

 

28

   

     Cleanup Objectives,

 

29

   

     Criteria,

 

29

   

     Status of Current Technologies and Needs,

 

30

   

     References,

 

31

   

Subcommittee on Landfills

 

33

   

     Overview and Summary of Preliminary Recommendations,

 

33

   

     Preliminary Findings, Observations, and Recommendations,

 

34

   

     References,

 

44

   

Subcommittee on High-Level Waste in Tanks

 

49

   

     Introduction,

 

49

   

     Conclusions and Recommendations,

 

55

   

     References,

 

57

   

Subcommittee on Mixed Wastes

 

59

   

     Scope and Tasks of the Subcommittee,

 

59

   

     Overview of the DOE Mixed-Waste Focus Area,

 

60

   

     Regulatory Aspects,

 

61

   

     Criteria for Technology Development,

 

63

   

     Status of Current Technologies,

 

64

   

     Issues Affecting Technology Development and Use,

 

68

   

     Conclusions and Recommendations,

 

70

   

     References,

 

72

   

Subcommittee on Decontamination and Decommissioning

 

73

   

     Introduction,

 

73

   

     Conclusions and Recommendations,

 

75

   

     References,

 

79

   

Cross-Cutting Areas and Technologies of Importance

 

81

   

     Site Characterization,

 

82

   

     Waste Characterization,

 

84

Page xiii Cite
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This book provides the National Academy of Sciences' 1995 review of the technology development program for the remediation of the Department of Energy's weapons complex facilities. It makes scientific, technical, and programmatic recommendations to strengthen technology development within DOE and ensure that it meet its goals of cost effectiveness, safety, and decreased risk. The recommendations address DOE's five focus areas: landfill stabilization; contaminant plume containment and remediation; facility transitioning, decommissioning, and final disposition; mixed waste characterization treatment; and high-level waste in tanks. The book also addresses technologies in areas that cross cut the above focus area programs, namely characterization monitoring and sensor technologies, efficient separations and processing, robotics, and waste disposal.

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