Thermal Denitration. Innovative Technology Summary Report

The major object of this work was to provide data for identifying and demonstrating a technically viable and cost-effective approach to condition LAW for immobilization. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory evaluated an approach that consisted of distillation followed by low-temperature denitration with a reductant addition. This process option minimizes volatilization of radionuclides and hazardous constituents, and converts most of the nitrate in the water to at least 50% nitrogen gas instead of NOx during LAW calcination, while still producing a groutable product. INEEL investigated high-temperature calcination for the LAW, a process already selected by INEEL for calcining high-level waste. Why is it necessary to remove the nitrate (denitrification)? The low-activity waste derived from the separation work performed on the sodium-bearing waste will be very acidic as will the high-activity waste from the redissolution of calcine. In addition, these waste streams will contain very high levels of nitrates; these nitrates are detrimental to grout waste forms. Thus, the nitrate must be removed from these waste streams before they are encapsulated in grout