12 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Bioreduction amenability testing of actinide contaminated soils. The systems: Am{sup 241}-Pu{sup 238}, Am{sup 241}-Pu{sup 239/40}, U
Bioreductive processing of actinide contaminated soils can achieve extraction levels in excess of 97% for both plutonium and uranium contaminants. Reasonable reaction rates of 4 to 6 day resident times for Pu-Am have been demonstrated on 4 gram sample charges. Longer reaction times of 17 days required for uranium extraction can be improved by soil sample preconditioning and/or an increase in process reagent concentrations. The environmentally benign treatment process operates at pH 6--7, preserves the original soil matrix, and utilizes standard processing equipment. The process reagent component (inoculum SD-1 and biological growth medium PX100{trademark}) are available for utilization in an integrated system. Process techniques developed by MBX, involving graduated volume bioreactors have been proven to alleviate biological toxicity problems in treatment leachates. Bioreduction processing of actinide contaminated soils, preconditioning of soil charges, and recycling or vegetation of unacceptable tailings can be combined to provide an effective and environmentally attractive method of remediation. The soil test program was designed to determine the applicability of the MBX bioreductive technology to solubilize Pu and Am from RFP, Mound and LANL soils and uranium from Hanford and Fernald soils