Life Cycle Analysis for Treatment and Disposal of PCB Waste at Ashtabula and Fernald

Morris, M.I.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

关键词: Low-Level Radioactive Wastes;    Radioactive Waste Storage;    Life-Cycle Cost;    Radioactive Waste Processing;    Polychlorinated Biphenyls;   

DOI  :  10.2172/777710
RP-ID  :  ORNL/TM-2000/254
RP-ID  :  AC05-96OR22464
RP-ID  :  777710

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

This report presents the use of the life cycle analysis (LCA) system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to assist two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites in Ohio--the Ashtabula Environmental Management Project near Cleveland and the Fernald Environmental Management Project near Cincinnati--in assessing treatment and disposal options for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated low-level radioactive waste (LLW) and mixed waste. We will examine, first, how the LCA process works, then look briefly at the LCA system's ''toolbox,'' and finally, see how the process was applied in analyzing the options available in Ohio. As DOE nuclear weapons facilities carry out planned decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities for site closure and progressively package waste streams, remove buildings, and clean up other structures that have served as temporary waste storage locations, it becomes paramount for each waste stream to have a prescribed and proven outlet for disposition. Some of the most problematic waste streams throughout the DOE complex are PCB low-level radioactive wastes (liquid and solid) and PCB low-level Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) liquid and solid wastes. Several DOE Ohio Field Office (OH) sites have PCB disposition needs that could have an impact on the critical path of the decommissioning work of these closure sites. The Ashtabula Environmental Management Project (AEMP), an OH closure site, has an urgent problem with disposition of soils contaminated by PCB and low-level waste at the edge of the site. The Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP), another OH closure site, has difficulties in timely disposition of its PCB-low-level sludges and its PCB low-level RCRA sludges in order to avoid impacting the critical path of its D&D activities. Evaluation of options for these waste streams is the subject of this report. In the past a few alternatives for disposition of PCB low-level waste and PCB low-level RCRA waste had seemed achievable, but these options did not materialize. Recently, however, new PCB waste treatment alternatives have appeared, and some regulatory requirements for treatment and disposal of PCBs have been relaxed. This LCA evaluation has been performed to assess new and existing PCB waste opportunities that are available for the treatment and disposal of wastes at AEMP and FEMP.