Clean option: An alternative strategy for Hanford Tank Waste Remediation

Plans for remediation of the Hanford underground storage tanks are currently undergoing reevaluation. As part of this process, many options are being considered for the Tank Waste Remediation System (MRS). The ''clean option'' described here proposes an aggressive waste processing strategy to achieve the three ma or objectives: Greatly reduce the volume of high-level waste (HLW) to lessen demands on geologic repository space; decrease by several orders of magnitude the amount of radioactivity and toxicity now in the waste tanks that will be left permanently onsite as low-level solid waste (LLW); and accomplish the first two objectives without significantly increasing the total amount of waste for disposal. The study discussed here focuses on process chemistry, as it provides the foundation for achieving the clean option objectives. Because demonstrated separation steps have been identified and connected in a way that meets these objectives, the study concludes that the process chemistry rests on a firm technical basis