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Show EXTENDED ABSTRACT Presented at the American Flame Research Committee 1992 Fall International Symposium October 19-21, 1992 Cambri~ge, MA TREATMENT OF WASTE BY TIIE MOLTEN SALT OXIDATION PROCESS AT THE OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Summaty Sladjana M. Crosley Oak Ridge National LaboratoI)' Engineering Technology Division Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Richard L Gay RoeloweJl International Corporation Rocketdyne Division 6633 Canoga Avenue Canoga Park, CA 91303 Molten Salt Oxidation (MSO) process technology has been under development by Rockwell International to treat hazardous, radioactive, and mixed waste. To demonstra tc technical feasibility of the process, the system has been tested on a number of types of waste including simulated intermediate level waste (ILW) from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The intermediate level waste streams consisted of a slurry of concentrated aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide and sodium nitrate, with the a amount of miscellaneous combustible components such as poly-vinyl chloride (PVC), tn-butyl phosphate (TBP), kerosene, and ion exchange resins. The purposes of these tests were to destroy the organics, evaporate the water, and convert the hazardous salts (hydroxide and nitrate) into non·hazardous sodium carbonate. Results of the tests and the future possibilities for applying the MSO process to different waste streams at ORNL are discussed. Introduction The MSO process is an advanced waste treatment process which was developed to destroy hazardous wastes and convert mixed waste into a small volume of only radioactive wastes. The process was originally developed during the reriod of 1970-1984 when numerous waste treatment studies were made by Rockwell Intemationa11• that demonstrated excellent destruction (>99.9999%) of many hazardous wastes. Process economics were marginal at that time, but stringent regulations and a new empbads on mixed waste disposal have led to renewed interest in the MSO process. MSO is most applicable to mixed wastes consisting of combustible liquids and solids. The process can be used as a primary trea tment in which the wastes are oxidized directly in the molten salt ve$sel, or as a secondary treatment, in which wastes high in inert. material are oxidized in a rotary kiln or similar device, with the off-gas being routed through the molten salt bath for polishing. |