Workshop B: thermal, physicochemical, and biological treatment

The scope of the workshop includes biological and chemical treatment of waste. Because of its relationship to the systems, the authors considered ion exchange to be a unit operation for consideration. Electrolysis was limited to the recovery or precipitation of ionic species. The purposes of the treatment options for low-level radioactive waste are: 1) volume reduction, 2) immobilization, and 3) reduction of hazards due to nonradioactive materials. The workshop believed that the order of importance for decision making is: 1) regulatory requirements, 2) political and public perceptions (note that regulatory requirements are responsive to public perceptions), 3) economic optimizations, and 4) meeting of technical and operational requirements