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  1. Research
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  3. Environmental Management
  4. Waste Processing

Waste Processing

Providing scientific
solutions to safely
manage and process waste

Approximately three gallons of low-activity Hanford tank waste were vitrified at PNNL's Radiochemical Processing Laboratory in April 2018. The laboratory-scale demonstration was an important step toward the eventual treatment of millions of gallons of hazardous waste generated during past plutonium production at the Hanford site.

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PNNL researchers are providing science and engineering expertise to understand the chemical and physical properties of tank waste. The laboratory partners with the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and site contractors to support the demonstration, maturation, and optimization of technologies to safely retrieve and process it.

The work is part of PNNL’s mission to help solve critical issues that challenge DOE-EM in the management, processing, and long-term disposal of nuclear waste, not only at the Hanford site but throughout the DOE complex.

PNNL researchers use sophisticated models and chemical analysis to develop glass “recipes,” reducing uncertainties and increasing efficiencies for converting Hanford’s radioactive tank waste into glass logs for safe long-term storage.
PNNL experts work with DOE contractors and industry partners to develop non-destructive evaluation technologies that inspect the nearly inaccessible bottoms of Hanford’s underground waste tanks—with the goal of extending tank service life by detecting and potentially repairing flaws before a leak occurs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operations underpinned by fundamental science

PNNL science improves safety, lowers cost, and reduces the risk of the nation’s nuclear waste challenges. Our technological capabilities span a foundation of fundamental science through operational support, as the research informs work at multiple sites around the nation.

Building on more than 50 years as part of the DOE-EM mission, PNNL’s support for waste treatment at Hanford continues today with the development and implementation of key capabilities such as the Radioactive Waste Test Platform. This technology helps to reduce the cost and schedule risks of cleanup by demonstrating baseline treatment and potential alternatives. This enables scientists, engineers, and officials to evaluate technology maturation and alternative strategies, and to optimize operations.

With internationally renowned nuclear scientists on our team, PNNL leads a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC)—Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM)—and is a partner in other EFRCs that focus on waste form corrosion and novel waste forms. In addition, our Nuclear Process Science Initiative (NPSI) is developing the scientific foundation for predicting and controlling interfacial reactivity of relevant solids in chemically complex environments. The team seeks to understand, harness, and exploit the interfacial phenomena controlling the behavior of materials in nuclear processing. Molecular-scale research like this leads to larger-scale feasibility research and field deployment.

To do this work, PNNL draws upon nuclear science research facilities like the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory, the 318 Building, the Applied Process and Engineering Laboratory, and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.

For more than 40 years, technical assistance from PNNL has supported the operations and processing of Hanford tank waste. Our expertise in tank waste chemistry, fluid dynamics and scaling, waste forms, and safety bases has helped to shape the site’s waste treatment baseline and solve operational challenges. The historical knowledge and unique scientific and technical expertise at PNNL are essential to the success of the Hanford mission.

Brochures

File

PNNL Tank Waste Processing

File

PNNL Environmental Management Sector Overview

File

PNNL_Tank_Waste_Operations_and_Waste_Processing_Platform_2018.pdf

File

PNNL_Chemical_and_Nuclear_Processing_Capabilities.pdf

Recent News

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Feature

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Composite image featuring portrait photos of Evarts, Lackey, Reinhart. Beneath them are logos for PNNL, WSU, and the PNNL 60th anniversary logo.
JANUARY 17, 2025
Staff Accomplishment

PNNL Engineers Receive Awards at AIChE

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SEPTEMBER 6, 2024
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Waste Management Symposia Honors PNNL Research

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Facilities

Radiochemical Processing Laboratory 318 Building Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory Materials Science and Technology Building Wasteform Development Laboratory

Related Research

Materials Sciences Chemistry Science of Interfaces Subsurface Science Radiation Measurement Radiological & Nuclear Detection Earth & Coastal Sciences Materials in Extreme Environments

Related Divisions

Nuclear Sciences Division

Contacts

Tom Brouns
Director, Environmental Management Sector; Director, RemPlex
tom.brouns@pnnl.gov
509-372-6265
David Peeler
Deputy Sector Manager, Environmental Management
david.peeler@pnnl.gov
509-372-6225

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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is managed and operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy
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