MCLinc has supported several development, demonstration, testing and evaluation studies of various thermal treatment technologies for the processing of hazardous and/or radiological wastes. These technologies include incineration, plasma torch, microwave melting and vitrification (in-situ, transportable and bulk).
The first fully licensed low-level mixed waste incinerator was designed, constructed and operated at the East Tennessee Technology Park, formerly the K-25 Site, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As part of the technical support organization for this site, the MCLinc staff had the opportunity to provide a wide variety of support including; material compatibility testing, process optimization, waste management, off-gas evaluation, particulate analysis, failure analysis, and health and safety studies. This understanding of thermal treatment processes led to the involvement in other DOE sponsored thermal treatment technology initiatives including: development of non-hazardous surrogates for evaluating DOE specific waste streams, evaluation of plasma torch technologies for waste processing, evaluation of microwave melting technologies, evaluation of vitrification (in-situ, transportable, and bulk) technologies for waste treatment, demonstration and evaluation of metal emissions monitors, and working with various technology and thermal treatment working groups to assist in the development of programs and protocols to meet the complex waste management needs facing the U.S. DOE and the U.S. Industrial complex.
| Matrix | Contaminant or Reactant | Reaction or Technology |
| Gas-Phase | ||
| UF6 and uranium-containing solid deposits | Reactions with Fluorinating Agents or Candidate Coolants | |
| Organonitriles | Thermal destruction | |
| Incinerator stack gas | Sorbents or metal partitioning studies | |
| Aqueous Solution | ||
| Waste acid | Nitrates, fissile material | Treatment, blending, and accident investigation |
| Groundwater | Uranium, mercury and other metals | Zero-valent iron and novel sorbents |
| Groundwater | Technetium-99 | Zero-valent iron and novel sorbents |
| Process water | Technetium-99 | Zero-valent iron and novel sorbents |
| Process water | Uranium | Chemical treatment |
| Process water | Sr, Cs in simulated incinerator blowdown (wastewater) | Fate of metals |
| Process water | Cyanide | Fate of cyanide |
| Process water | Metals in wastewater | Process control |
| Process water | Nickel in spent plating baths | Resource recovery |
| Sludge or Debris | ||
| Crushed fluorescent lamps | Mercury | Aqueous extraction and resource recovery |
| Mixed waste sludge | Mercury, uranium, | Aqueous extraction and resource recovery |
| Mixed waste sludge | Oil and grease | Extraction |
| Heterogeneous debris | Asbestos | Chemical conversion |
| Heterogeneous debris | Radiological surrogates | Thermal treatment systems |
| Sludge | Unknown | Control of free water |
| Sludge | Unknown | Characterization |
| Sludge | Radionuclides | Stabilization |
| Soil | ||
| Spiked soil | Heavy metals | Thermal treatment; sorbents |
| Contaminated Soil | Mercury | Speciation |
| Contaminated soil | Uranium | Speciation |
| Reactive solids | ||
| Thorium nitrate | Characterization and treatability | |
| Radiological surrogates in simulated filtercake and sludge | Grout; Polymer encapsulation; Vitrification; Microwave Sintering | |
| Tc and U in mixed waste process sludge | Grout formulations | |
| Tc-contaminated ion exchange media | Grout; polymer encapsulation | |