Interim Report -- Committee on Cesium Processing Alternatives for High-Level Waste at the Savannah River Site (1999) / Chapter Skim
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Letter from the Committee on Cesium Processing Alternatives for High-Level Waste at the Savannah River Site
Letter from the Committee on Cesium Processing Alternatives for High-Level Waste at the Savannah River Site
Pages 1-9
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From page 1... ...
20585 Dear Dr. Moniz: AUcN\~cS Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineenugr and Medicine October ~ 4, ~ 999 Boarcl on Raclioactive Waste Mangement National Research Council The National Research Council empaneled a committee' at your requests to provide an independent technical review of alternatives for processing the high-level radioactive waste salt solutions at the Savannah River Sites.
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Consequently, in addressing this part of its statement of task, the committee will be asking the question "Did the screening process lead to the identification of technically sound options for processing the waste? " The commidee's initial impression is that the screening process did result in the identification of several potentially viable alternative processing options.
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For the small tank TPB precipitation, caustic side solvent extraction, and CST ion exchange processing options, the remaining hurdles are both scientific and technical in nature and include the need for obtaining a better understanding of basic chemical processes. The direct disposal in grout option appears to be technically mature but faces significant regulatory hurdles.
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The WSRC staff who briefed the committee indicated that WSRC has a limited understanding of the mechanisms of catalysis responsible for benzene production and also that WSRC has collected lithe experimental data on the sources or roles of likely catalysts such as soluble transition metal complexes and dispersed palladium metal particles. The committee believes that WSRC must obtain a better understanding of the chemistry of the TPB decomposition process before this option could be selected and deployed to treat the cesium-bearing salt solutions at Savannah River.
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From page 5... ...
Second, CST appears to react with constituents in the alkaline tank waste to produce new solid phases that may be capable of plugging the ion exchange columns. Because either of these problems could lead to extended and costly shutdowns of tank waste processing operations at the site if this processing option were to be implemented, they must be resolved before this process can be deployed.
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From page 6... ...
In fact, there do appear to be some remaining technical questions that will need to be resolved before this process could be implemented successfully at Savannah River, and the committee learned at its information-gathering meeting that WSRC appears to be pursuing these questions vigorously. In particular, MST reaction kinetics are not well understood-work by WSRC staff suggests that actinide and strontium reactions with the MST may proceed more 32 Public acceptance may also be a significant barrier with this option, because it will entail the shallow-land disposal of isotopes that will be highly radioactive for hundreds to thousands of years.
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From page 7... ...
The commidee's first observation is that R&D resource allocations for the four alternative processing options have been markedly inequitable. In FY99, R&D funding for the four alternative processing options totaled about $~1 million about $4.4 million for small tank TPB, $6.0 million for CST ion exchange, $0.3 million for caustic side solvent extraction, and $0.3 million for direct grouting.
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WSRC is now in the process of preparing the draft ElS, and the committee was told by WSRC staff that the draft ElS would likely recommend the selection of small tank TPB precipitation as the preferred processing option. Based on the commiNee's initial review of the processing options, it is not clear that the small tank TPB precipitation option favored by WSRC will necessarily be the commiNee's preferred choice after the commidee's detailed review is completed.
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From page 9... ...
A vigorous, well planned, and adequately funded ROD effort should be undertaken to address the remaining scientific and technical hurdles with the caustic side solvent extraction option. This ROD should address, at a minimum, the stability of the solvent system in radiation fields, the ability to scrub and recycle the solvents, the ability to mitigate contaminant formation during processing, and the ability to produce the chelating agent in quantities necessary for this application.
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