Liquefaction of latex glove waste for volume reduction

Abstract

The accumulation of dry active wastes (DAWs) such as latex gloves in nuclear facilities has become a serious issue because of the high cost and limited storage area for their management. In this study, the liquefaction of latex gloves, which mainly comprise rubber and CaCO3, was investigated as a waste reduction technique. When liquefaction occurred at > 270°C, the latex gloves decomposed into gaseous, liquid, and solid products. Cs-, Sr-, and Co-contaminated latex gloves were liquefied at 350°C, and the solid product was subsequently recovered via distillation. Notably, the contaminants comprising CaCO3 and char only remained in the solid product (~ 33.3 wt.%); thus, the gaseous and liquid products could be regarded as non-radioactive, thereby reducing the volume of radioactive waste (~ 92.7% reduction after compression). Liquefaction is favorable compared to conventional combustion because it generates less harmful gases by converting the organic components to condensed phases.