The greatest challenge facing the U.S. Department of Energy is the remediation of the 1 x l0 s gal of high-level and low-level radioactive waste in the underground storage tanks (USTs) at its Hanford, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, Idaho, and Fernald sites. With current technologies, this remediation will cost at least 100 billion dollars. In an effort to reduce costs, improve safety, and minimize delays, the Underground Storage Tank-Integrated Demonstration was created for demonstration, testing, and evaluation (DT&E) of promising new technologies that can be used l i r for UST remediation. These demonstrations, which are typically at the pilot-plant scale, will determine which processes will be used in the full-scale remediation of the USTs. These DT&E studies are performed by the Characterization and Waste Retrieval Program or by the Waste Processing and Disposal Program (WPDP). This paper presents the technical progress and future plans of the WPDP projects. The 11 WPDP programs in FY 1993 focused on three problem areas, which involve the treatment of supernate, the treatment of sludge, and nitrate destruction and subsequent waste forms. The three supernate projects were primarily concerned with the development of the compact processing units. The four sludge studies were designed to develop a complete system-level plan for handling sludge and supernate, with particular emphasis on sludge-dissolution treatment, and to evaluate TRUEX and diamide solvent extraction processes for transuranic waste streams. The four projects on nitrate destruction and subsequent waste forms approached these problems in unique ways. In addition, a planned Request for Expression of Interest on organic destruction techniques from private industries and universities and the WPDP's future direction and programmatic issues are discussed.
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A detailed, systematic management program is required to maintain water storage infrastructure in hot, dry conditions. Water is an invaluable resource in arid climates. Storing this resource is one of the most important tasks that falls on desert municipalities and agencies.
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