Mixed organic and mineral waste processing by incineration-vitrification : Case of bituminous media

Burnable radioactive waste management options are often in favour of the vitrification due to their volume reduction, resulting in cost saving for transport and storage. More, the interest is also to obtain a best radioactivity immobilization in a long-lasting matrix. Development made on incineration-vitrification process must take into account radioactivity environment in term of process compactness, gas treatment and secondary wastes. A new and simplified equipment, using thermal oxygen plasma coupled with a cold crucible melter, is being developed at the Valrho-Marcoule nuclear centre (France): SHIVA, for Advanced Hybrid System for Incineration and Vitrification. As part of studies concerning the management of bitumen canisters stored in Marcoule, the feasibility of their treatment in an incineration-vitrification process have been tested. This treatment could concern the most radioactive bituminised waste drums because they have to be sent in a costly storage site in consideration of their radioactivity. The interest of such treatment is first to reduce the volume of wastes in order to appreciably diminish the cost of this storage. (author)