Methods of decontaminating nuclear waste-containing soil
AssigneeCommodore Laboratories, Inc.
InventorAlbert E. Abel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Soil including sand and clays contaminated with nuclear waste materials are decontaminated by treating with anhydrous liquid ammonia alone or in combination with solvated electrons. Methods comprise concentrating radionuclides, such as plutonium and uranium in the fines of soil and clay to yield residual soil products which are sufficiently free of contaminants to allow reclamation. Economics are improved over aqueous systems since ammonia can be recovered and recycled. By concentrating nuclear wastes in soil fines space requirements ordinarily needed for storage of untreated soil and handling costs can be significantly reduced.
Claims18
A method of decontaminating soil containing nuclear waste, which comprises the steps of:
- (a) mixing a liquid ammonia with a soil contaminated with nuclear waste in a closed vessel to form an ammonia-nuclear waste-containing soil dispersion or slurry;
- (b) allowing soil particles to selectively precipitate from the dispersion or slurry of step (a) to form a lower solid phase of soil particulates while forming an upper liquid-solid phase comprising soil fines dispersed in said liquid ammonia, the soil particulates of said lower phase having greater bulk density relative to the soil fines of said upper liquid-solid phase;
- (c) separating said upper liquid-solid phase from said lower solid phase of soil particulates, the lower solid phase being sufficiently free of said nuclear waste, and
- (d) separating the ammonia from the soil fines containing the nuclear waste material for disposal or further treatment of said fines.
A method of decontaminating soil containing nuclear waste, which comprises the steps of:
- (a) mixing a liquid ammonia with a soil contaminated with nuclear waste in a closed vessel to form an ammonia-nuclear waste-containing soil dispersion or slurry;
- (b) treating the dispersion or slurry of step (a) with solvated electrons by contacting with a reactive metal;
- (c) allowing soil particles to selectively precipitate from the dispersion or slurry of step (b) to form a lower solid phase of soil particulates while forming an upper liquid-solid phase comprising soil fines dispersed in said liquid ammonia, the soil particulates of said lower phase having a greater bulk density relative to the soil fines of said upper phase;
- (d) separating said upper liquid-solid phase from said lower solid phase of soil particulates, the lower solid phase being sufficiently free of said nuclear waste, and
- (e) separating the ammonia from the soil fines containing the nuclear waste material for disposal or further treatment of said fines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.