Low-Temperature, Vacuum-Aided Thermal Desorption Studies on a Simulated Organic Sludge Waste

This report describes an initial set of small scale lab tests conducted on surrogate waste materials to investigate mass release behavior of volatile organics (VOC’s) from a solidified liquid organic sludge matrix under vacuumaided, low-temperature thermal desorption conditions. Low temperature thermal desorption is being considered as a potential processing technology alternative to incineration, to remove gas generation limitations affecting the transportation of transuranic (TRU) contaminated organic sludge wastes to a designated off-site repository (i.e., the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant). The lab-scale tests provide initial exploratory level information on temperature profiles and rates of volatile organic desorption for a range of initial VOC/oil liquid mixture concentrations in a calcium silicate matrix, under low temperature heating and vacuum boundary conditions that are representative of potentially desirable “in-drum desorption” conditions. The results of these tests indicate that reduced operating pressures have a potential for significantly enhancing the rate of thermal desorption experienced from a liquid organic/oil solidified “sludge” waste. Furthermore, the results indicate that in-drum thermal desorption can be performed on organic sludge wastes, at reduced pressures, while maintaining an operating temperature sufficiently low to prevent destruction of the waste drum packaging materials (confinement) surrounding the waste. The results also indicate that VOC release behavior/rates in the vacuum thermal desorption process cannot be represented by a simple liquid-liquid mass-diffusion model, since overall mass release rates observed are generally two orders of magnitude greater than predicted by simple liquid-liquid mass diffusion. This is partially attributed to the effects of the transient temperature profiles within the sludge during heat up; however, the primary cause is thought to be micro boiling of the volatile organics within the simulated sludge. Micro boiling of VOC’s would be expected to occur in localized volumes within the organic sludge where temperatures exceed the volatile organic saturation temperature sufficiently to form vapor bubbles. Further model based evaluations reflecting the transient temperatures, local boiling, and subsequent vapor in liquid/sludge transport conditions are needed, with supporting controlled testing of the vacuum-aided thermal desorption process at small and full-scale conditions in order to fully develop this process

Steam Reforming Solidification of Cesium and Strontium Separations Product from Advanced Aqueous Processing of Spent Nuclear Fuel

The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative program is conducting research on aqueous separations processes for the nuclear fuel cycle. This research includes development of solvent extraction processes for the separation of cesium and strontium from dissolved spent nuclear fuel solutions to reduce the short-term decay heat load. The cesium/strontium strip solution from candidate separation processes will require treatment and solidification for managed storage. Steam reforming is currently being investigated for stabilization of these streams because it can potentially destroy the nitrates and organics present in these aqueous, nitrate-bearing solutions, while converting the cesium and strontium into leach-resistant aluminosilicate minerals, such as pollucite. These ongoing experimental studies are being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of steam reforming for this application

Clean-in-Place and Reliability Testing of a Commercial 12.5 cm Annular Centrifugal Contactor at the INL

The renewed interest in advancing nuclear energy has spawned the research of advanced technologies for recycling nuclear fuel. A significant portion of the advanced fuel cycle includes the recovery of selected actinides by solvent extraction methods utilizing centrifugal contactors. Although the use of centrifugal contactors for solvent extraction is widely known, their operation is not without challenges. Solutions generated from spent fuel dissolution contain unknown quantities of undissolved solids. A majority of these solids will be removed via various methods of filtration. However, smaller particles are expected to carry through to downstream solvent extraction processes and equipment. In addition, solids/precipitates brought about by mechanical or chemical upsets are another potential area of concern. During processing, particulate captured in the rotor assembly by high centrifugal forces eventually forms a cake-like structure on the inner wall introducing balance problems and negatively affecting phase separations. One of the features recently developed for larger engineering scale Annular Centrifugal Contactors (ACCs) is the Clean-In-Place (CIP) capability. Engineered spray nozzles were installed into the hollow central rotor shaft in all four quadrants of the rotor assembly. This arrangement allows for a very convenient and effective method of solids removal from within the rotor assembly

Mass Transfer Testing of a 12.5-cm Rotor Centrifugal Contactor

TRUEX mass transfer tests were performed using a single stage commercially available 12.5 cm centrifugal contactor and stable cerium (Ce) and europium (Eu). Test conditions included throughputs ranging from 2.5 to 15 Lpm and rotor speeds of 1750 and 2250 rpm. Ce and Eu extraction forward distribution coefficients ranged from 13 to 19. The first and second stage strip back distributions were 0.5 to 1.4 and .002 to .004, respectively, throughout the dynamic test conditions studied. Visual carryover of aqueous entrainment in all organic phase samples was estimated at < 0.1 % and organic carryover into all aqueous phase samples was about ten times less. Mass transfer efficiencies of = 98 % for both Ce and Eu in the extraction section were obtained over the entire range of test conditions. The first strip stage mass transfer efficiencies ranged from 75 to 93% trending higher with increasing throughput. Second stage mass transfer was greater than 99% in all cases. Increasing the rotor speed from 1750 to 2250 rpm had no significant effect on efficiency for all throughputs tested

Alternative Ultrafiltration Membrane Testing for the SRS Baseline Process

The ability to more rapidly process high-level waste sludge and supernate, without sacrificing cost savings, continues to be a crucial challenge facing the Savannah River Site (SRS). There has, to date, not been any extensive investigation of alternative filter technologies for the SRS baseline process. To address this problem, a focused investigation into alternative, state-of-the art filtration technologies to facilitate the strontium and actinide removal process, which can be cost effectively implemented in existing facilities and current equipment designs, was completed. Filter technologies manufactured by Mott (0.1 µm and 0.5 µm) Graver (0.07 µm), Pall (0.1 µm and 0.8 µm) and GKN (0.1 µm) were evaluated. Membranes had a nominal inside diameter of 3/8 inches and an active membrane length of 2 feet. The investigation was performed in two phases. The first phase of testing evaluated the consistency or variability in flux through the different membranes using water and a standard 5.0 wt% strontium carbonate slurry. The second phase of testing evaluated the achievable permeate flux and clarity through the various membranes using the SRS average salt supernate simulant at solids loadings of 0.06, 0.29 and 4.5 wt%. Membrane variation data indicate that membranes having an asymmetric ceramic coating (Pall 0.1 µm and Graver 0.07 µm), typically displayed the lowest variability with water. Membranes without a ceramic asymmetric coating (Mott 0.5 µm and GKN 0.1 µm) displayed the highest variability. This is most likely associated with the experimental uncertainties in measuring large volumes of permeate in a short amount of time and to the impact of impurities in the water. In general, variability ranging from 4-56% was observed when using water for all membranes. In the case of variation testing using strontium carbonate, variability decreased to 3-12%. In addition, membrane structure or composition had little effect on the variability. Data obtained from SRS simulant testing, indicate that membranes having a ceramic asymmetric coating (Graver 0.07 µm, Pall 0.1 µm), typically achieved the highest average steady state fluxes for all solution concentrations evaluated. In general, the Graver 0.07 µm and Pall 0.1 µm membranes achieved fluxes approximately 13 to 21 percent higher than those observed with the baseline Mott 0.1 µm membrane using the SRS simulant at solids loadings of 0.29 and 4.5 wt%. Membranes without a ceramic asymmetric coating (GKN, Mott) achieved the lowest average steady state fluxes. It is postulated that small particles present in solution were unable to penetrate the ceramic layer, thus producing surface filtration where the filter cake acts as the filter medium. Conversely, membranes without the asymmetric ceramic coating were susceptible to the small particles present in solution penetrating into the internal pore structure of the membrane, thus producing depth filtration where the porosity is greatly reduced by particles trapped within the interstices of the internal structure. Turbidity data indicate that permeate from the alternative membranes provided reduced or equivalent turbidity measurements when compared to the baseline 0.1 µm Mott membrane

Actinide partitioning studies using dihexyl-N,N-diethycarbamolymehtyl phosphonate and dissolved zirconium calcine

A baseline flowsheet capable of partitioning the transuranic (TRU) elements from dissolved zirconium calcines has been developed. The goal of the TRU partitioning process is to remove the TRUs from solutions of dissolved zirconium calcines to below the 10 CFR 61.55 Class A waste limit of 10 nCi/g. Extraction, scrub, strip, and wash distribution coefficients for several elements, including the actinides, were measured in the laboratory by performing equal volume batch contacts. A solvent containing diheyl-N, N- diethylcarbamoylmethyl phosphonate (CMP), tributylphosphate (TBP), and a branched chain hydrocarbon as the diluent were used to develop this process. A non-radioactive zirconium pilot-plant calcine was spiked with the TRUs, U, Tc, or a radioactive isotope of zirconium to simulate the behavior of these elements in actual dissolved zirconium calcine feed. Distribution coefficient data obtained from laboratory testing were used to recommend: (1) solvent composition, (2) scrub solutions capable of selectively removing extracted zirconium while minimizing actinide recycle, (3) optimized strip solutions which quantitatively recover extracted actinides, and (4) feed adjustments necessary for flowsheet efficiency. Laboratory distribution coefficients were used in conjunction with the Generic TRUEX Model (GTM) to develop and recommend a flowsheet for testing in the 5.5-cm Centrifugal Contractor Mockup. GTM results indicate that the recommended flowsheet should remove the actinides from dissolved zirconium calcine feed to below the Class A waste limit of 10 nCi/g. Less than 0.01 wt% of the extracted zirconium will report to the high- activity waste (HAW) fraction using the 0.05 M H{sub 2}C{sub 2}O{sub 4} in 3.0 M HNO{sub 3} scrub, and greater than 99% of the extracted actinides are recovered with 0.001 M HEDPA

The impact of sanitation on infectious disease and nutritional status: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Sanitation aims to sequester human feces and prevent exposure to fecal pathogens. More than 2.4 billion people worldwide lack access to improved sanitation facilities and almost one billion practice open defecation. We undertook systematic reviews and meta-analyses to compile the most recent evidence on the impact of sanitation on diarrhea, soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, trachoma, schistosomiasis, and nutritional status assessed using anthropometry. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We updated previously published reviews by following their search strategy and eligibility criteria. We searched from the previous review's end date to December 31, 2015. We conducted meta-analyses to estimate pooled measures of effect using random-effects models and conducted subgroup analyses to assess impact of different levels of sanitation services and to explore sources of heterogeneity. We assessed risk of bias and quality of the evidence from intervention studies using the Liverpool Quality Appraisal Tool (LQAT) and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, respectively. A total of 171 studies met the review's inclusion criteria, including 64 studies not included in the previous reviews. Overall, the evidence suggests that sanitation is protective against diarrhea, active trachoma, some STH infections, schistosomiasis, and height-for-age, with no protective effect for other anthropometric outcomes. The evidence was generally of poor quality, heterogeneity was high, and GRADE scores ranged from very low to high. CONCLUSIONS: This review confirms positive impacts of sanitation on aspects of health. Evidence gaps remain and point to the need for research that rigorously describes sanitation implementation and type of sanitation interventions

On the problem of the justification of river rights

This article aims to work out the social conditions that determine whether the communication of river rights finds success in society. Employing the context of hydropower development in the Mekong region, the article finds that an essentialist strategy which claims that river rights have unlimited ‘moral’ validity regardless of any of the decision consequences is unlikely to succeed. Instead, it is proposed that moral conflicts over river rights may ultimately only be resolvable ‘unmorally’, that is, by procedural legitimacy – and this is best captured by employing a methodological framework composed of thematic, social and temporal dimension

Satellite content and quenching of star formation in galaxy groups at z ~ 1.8

We study the properties of satellites in the environment of massive star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1.8 in the COSMOS field, using a sample of 215 galaxies on the main sequence of star formation with an average mass of ~1011M⊙. At z> 1.5, these galaxies typically trace halos of mass ≳1013M⊙. We use optical-near-infrared photometry to estimate stellar masses and star formation rates (SFR) of centrals and satellites down to ~ 6 × 109M⊙. We stack data around 215 central galaxies to statistically detect their satellite halos, finding an average of ~3 galaxies in excess of the background density. We fit the radial profiles of satellites with simple β-models, and compare their integrated properties to model predictions. We find that the total stellar mass of satellites amounts to ~68% of the central galaxy, while spectral energy distribution modeling and far-infrared photometry consistently show their total SFR to be 25-35% of the central's rate. We also see significant variation in the specific SFR of satellites within the halo with, in particular, a sharp decrease at <100 kpc. After considering different potential explanations, we conclude that this is likely an environmental signature of the hot inner halo. This effect can be explained in the first order by a simple free-fall scenario, suggesting that these low-mass environments can shut down star formation in satellites on relatively short timescales of ~0.3 Gyr

The star formation history of mass-selected galaxies from the VIDEO survey

© 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical SocietyWe measure star formation rates (SFRs) and specific SFRs (SSFRs) of Ks-selected galaxies from the VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations survey by stacking 1.4 GHz Very Large Array data.We split the sample, which spans 0 < z<3 and stellar masses 108.0 < M*/M⊙ < 1011.5, into elliptical, irregular or starburst galaxies based on their spectral energy distributions. We find that SSFR falls with stellar mass, in agreement with the 'downsizing' paradigm. We consider the dependence of the SSFR-mass slope on redshift: for our full and elliptical samples the slope flattens, but for the irregular and starburst samples the slope is independent of redshift. The rate of SSFR evolution reduces slightly with stellar mass for ellipticals, but irregulars and starbursts co-evolve across stellar masses. Our results for SSFR as a function of stellar mass and redshift are in agreement with those derived from other radio-stacking measurements of mass-selected passive and star-forming galaxies, but inconsistent with those generated from semi-analytic models, which tend to underestimate SFRs and SSFRs. There is a need for deeper high-resolution radio surveys such as those from telescopes like the next-generation MeerKAT in order to probe lower masses at earlier times and to permit direct detections, i.e. to study individual galaxies in detail.Peer reviewe