It’s nice to be first, or at least one of the first. That’s where the Transuranic Waste Processing Center (TWPC) is after the DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) approved their new waste-treatment process for non-compliant cellulosic waste.
TWPC is one of the first sites in the entire DOE complex to develop and implement a process to treat transuranic cellulosic wastes (cotton rags, cheesecloth, paper towels, etc.). Specifically, the new process will stabilize non-compliant cellulosic wastes using a Portland cement grouting process approved under TWPC’s environmental permit.
With the new process approved, some 100-120 waste drums from ORNL that have been set aside will be treated. The TWPC team will sort the waste to segregate non-compliant cellulosic materials from the compliant waste. The cellulosic material will be encapsulated in grout, placed in a container, and then put back in the original container for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
