Thank you.
Martha it's a pleasure to visit

Georgia Tech and I must admit the weather
is a bit nicer than the first time I

visited as an undergraduate came for
a football game.

The Peach Bowl.

It was held at the Georgia Tech
stadium before they had the dome.

So I'm dating myself.

We went to this game and
we were ill prepared with the weather

we had all four seasons occur
during the football game.

It started out as a nice evening it
developed into a ritual downpour.

It turned to snow.

And then by the time the game
ended it cleared and

there was not a cloud in the sky.

Luckily there was some refreshment to
keep the bodies warm during the game but

we won't go into that.

But it is a pleasure to talk
to you this afternoon about

a topic dear to my career
his the management of.

High level waste at
the Savannah River Site.

Both from a perspective of
the past the present and

plans for permanently disposing of
the high level waste at Savannah River.

The For those of you who are not familiar.

The.

Site is located about twenty miles
southeast of Augusta located.

JASON to the Savannah River we needed a.

Constant water supply for
Rianna were running the heavy water

reactors for
nuclear materials production so

that was why it was positioned adjacent
to the river and if you also notice.

It's about two and a half to three hours
from anyplace else other than Augusta.

To get to Atlanta or Charlotte or
the ocean or the mountains.

You can plan on Two and
a half to three hour drive but the the.

Site itself is about three
hundred square miles.

There were five heavy water reactors it
kind of hard to see on this slide but

that operated from the early fifty's
until about the mid ninety's.

As I mentioned they were heavy water
moderated We produced the heavy water on

site.

And then in the center part of the area
there were two separation canyons which.

Process the irradiated and
spent fuel to separate Nysa late

plutonium enriched uranium and
also tritium in the later years.

The laboratory is located
up in the northwest corner.

That was also the location of
the fuel fabrication facility so

where we took the enrich uranium and

fabricated it into the target
assemblies for the reactors.

The residues from the high
level waste processing.

Were stored and

one of three forms because the waste
tanks are constructed of carbon steel.

The separation process is used nitric acid
the waste were first made alcohol and

by the addition of sodium hydroxide that
precipitates the bulk of the the metals

present in these residues as
metal oxide metal hydroxide for

hydrous metal oxides which
will gravity settled into

a layer which we commonly refer to as
sludge in the highly technical term.

That adequately describes the consistency
of the materials very thick with.

Suspension.

That this is a sample that was
taken from one of the tanks and

brought up into the laboratory and
opened up in our shielded cells facility.

The About twenty five
weight percent solids.

The what water soluble fraction of
the waste is referred to a super Nate.

Principle ie the Sodium Salts and

I'll describe more of
the chemical composition later.

We did evaporate the waste and
upon cooling of the concentrated.

Solutions we would produce
what we refer to a salt cake.

So that the Sodium Salts of the principal.

And I and such as nitrate nitrite and
hydroxide.

And you can see these are cooling coils
that are distributed throughout the tank

and that's principally where
the crystal is ation process takes

initially takes part and then will
continue to grow outward You can see right

after removing super Natan liquid that
very clear picture of the salt cake.

A couple of photographs of our
high level waste tanks this

is a tank under construction
in the early eighty's.

This is our most recent design.

It's about eighty five feet in
diameter thirty three feet tall

a working volume of about one
point three million gallons.

It has about three miles of cool
to which cooling coils that run.

In a vertical manner in the tank.

It's built above grade afterwords
earth is impounded around the tank

in a layer of asphalt and
to provide additional shielding.

But from the radioactive
materials these tanks

are actively ventilated due to hydrogen
production from the radiologist of water.

So we sweep the air at about one hundred
to three hundred cubic feet per minute.

To maintain the hydrogen concentration
less than ten percent of the L F L.

The mentioned they also because
of the heat in the waste.

We.
We have cooling coils running

throughout the tank some
of the older tanks actually

also have horizontal cooling
coils in the bottom of the tank

which makes it extremely difficult
to remove waste from those tanks.

An aerial view of the.

In a chair in an area which
includes the separations Canyon.

Right here where we
would take the fuel and

target assemblies dissolve them in nitric
acid and then separate the uranium and

plutonium by the Purex process
a solvent extraction process to.

Separate the uranium in the plutonium
from the bulk of the fission products

then there would be secondary purification
steps such as I exchange to purify the put

separate and purify the uranium and
the plutonium.

This is what we refer to as
the Far East Hill the tank farms here.

Waste tank.

The.

Eighty five feet in diameter tank and
in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight.

We started up the effluent treatment
facility previously low activity waste.

Such as evaporator overheads
any likely contaminated water

was released to seepage basins
on the surface of the soil.

We stop that practice in the eighty's and
went to an F one treatment facility which

is a reverse osmosis based
process to treat the low activity

waste before release of the treated
water to the surface outfall.

It operates at about two hundred

its design capacity is about
two hundred gallons per minute.

And to mention its its
reverse osmosis base but

it also includes ion exchange for
mercury removal.

Activated carbon bed for
organics removal policy nine exchange for

last traces of cat ions before
release to the to the how fall.

Some more information about
the nature of the waste.

From a volume standpoint we've got

about thirty eight million
gallons of waste stored today.

The bulk of it is either as salt
super Nate or salt cake and

about almost half and half between
the salt Supernanny in the salt cake

the sludge fraction is
the smallest fraction.

But it contains about half of
the Curies our form found in

the sludge fraction the remaining half
are are distributed between the salt taken

the super Nate principle ie most of
it is in the super Nate because of

the cesium one thirty seven
represents most of the water soluble.

Radioactivity and
that remains in solution it does not.

Crystallize in the salt cake.

Just an interesting if you see these
little volcanoes in the sludge fraction.

That's actually gas evolving
the hydrogen evolve reaching

the surface of the sludge layer and
then being released into the atmosphere.

One way.

The composition I
summarized on this slide.

And I will spend most of my
talk on the salts Supernanny.

But you can see principly
It's the night sodium nitrate

from the nitric acid that was used
to initially dissolve the waste but.

A lot of other.

Components.

Nitrite is produced from
the radiologist's of nitrate carbonate is

is the result of absorption of atmospheric
C O two from the air that it's.

Passed into the tank.

So it's a very efficient scrubber
of C O two super natives and

then the remaining
components that showed here.

And as other processed chemicals
that were used in the separations.

And.

If I showed you the periodic table
would represent about ninety percent of

the periodic table is actually present had
been analyzed in some form in our waste.

We the tanks are subject to two leaks.

We've had a few leaks over the years.

Principally in our older tanks due to.

Nitrate induced stress corrosion cracking.

The cracks develop near the wells and
the heat affected zone.

And the waste will leak out example this
is the outer this is the primary wall.

We have an annular wall here and.

On the outside.

You see dried waste.

To any other region is also actively
ventilated so any waste that leaks into

that region has been a back breaker to
produce the salt residue that you see.

So we have an active program.

To inspect each tank.

And.

Actually since the Type
three tanks the most recent

design feature stressed relieved
carbon steel construction.

We've had no leaks in any of those tanks
and since adoption of a pretty rigorous

corrosion control program we've only
had two leaks since the mid seventy's.

Even in our older style tanks.

But that still raw.

Presents a risk to release of
the material to the environment.

So I've shown on this slide what
the plan the strategy is for

permanently disposing of the waste the.

Two the sludge fraction
the metal oxides and hydroxide.

Will be washed and
in some cases if it contains high aluminum

the aluminum will be leached by
treating with high caustic solutions.

And then the sludge the solids will be
sent to the beautification facility or

corporate into a borosilicate glass.

The salt solution follows a path where we

concentrate the radioactive components
separate that from the liquid phase.

And then take the separated radionuclides.

Combine that with the sludge and vitrified
that into defense waste processing

facility the decontaminated salt
waste then would go to a low

level waste disposal facility
we refer to that is salt stone.

That's that waste form is a cement
based waste form where we add cement

slag and fly ash.

Along with the liquid fraction and
cure that in vaults

as the long term disposal path for
low activity waste.

So the the strategy is concentrate
the radioactive materials into

a small volume vitrified that in the Bore
silicate glass a very durable waste form.

Eventually going to
the Federal Repository.

The decontaminated waste.

I volume the bulk of the waste goes to
a low activity waste form salts the.

Grout base waste form.

And not the same aerial view.

I now show some of the facilities
that will be that we are.

Either retrofit existing facilities or
building new facilities and

I'll describe some of the separation
techniques that we're using

the aconite removal process the modular
cost six out solve an extraction unit.

The salt waste processing facility which
will use the same separation technologies

as the A.A.R.P. an M.C.U. facility.

And the defense waste
processing facility and

then the salt stone facility that
are located adjacent to the D.D..

I'll talk first about sludge processing.

As I mentioned that simply we're removing
the interstitial liquid that is high

in salt from the sludge or in the cases
where there's high aluminum containing

sludge is we treat that with caustic
to reduce the the lumen content.

There is a look you do want
aluminum in some of the waste

as it is the good glass former but
if you have too high of aluminum it

adversely impacts the viscosity of
the melt pool and therefore has

you the durability of
the classes adversely impacted.

So we have to remove high
aluminum from the sludge and

reduce the the saw able salts before
feeding on we make these in large batches

about six hundred thousand gallons at
a time after a sludge batch is made.

We take a sample of that and
go through the entire deep defense waste

processing facility make a representative
class sample confirm that it makes

durable glass that will meet their
waste acceptance criteria and

then that goes forward with processing
that that sludge batch an aerial view

of the defense waste processing facility
showing the main processing building.

Here's.

Let's see.

Let me orientate myself a little better.

Yes this is the class storage building.

Located and like most nuclear facilities.

They're kept under negative pressure.

So we basically are sweeping air for

into the facility through all
the the radioactive areas and then

swept out passes through a sand filter
before it's released to the atmosphere.

The flow sheet.

Once inside the defense waste
processing facility is outlined.

And in this slide the sludge
from the tank farm is sent to

the slurry receive adjustment tank where
nitric acid Informix acid in some and

have foam additives
are blended with the sludge.

The form of acid serves as
a redux reagent to reduce

ionic mercury to elemental mercury.

And and also controls the Redux properties
of the iron that are in the slow

in the sludge because the the fairest
to ferric ratio is important in

making good Borosilicate
durable borosilicate glass.

After that process is complete.

It goes to the evaporator where
the mercury asperse steam to still

cause the volatility of mercury most
of the mercury would would would go

into the all castes in the melter
during the melting process so

we steam sed strip it out in collect
it and will dispose of it separately

in class formers or
added in final additions are made and

at that point we feed the Beltre feed
tank and into the melter where we make

the borosilicate glass we
vacuum poor out of the melter

into the stainless steel canister
the canisters are then the.

This is a view of some
canisters that have been

the plug has been put into the top
of the canister and welded shut.

And then it is transported to
a class towards building using this.

Transporter which carries
one canister tied

each canisters about ten feet
tall by two feet in diameter.

Today we've poured over thirty
two hundred canisters since the.

P.F. started up in one nine hundred
ninety six which represents about

forty percent of the sludge waste
out at the Savannah River Site.

This is a picture inside one
of the class storage buildings

the plugs here on the top.

So the transporter comes over
the plug lifts the plug up

would put the canister into
the bore hole in put the plug

back in then move new move
back out of the building and

as you can see personnel are allowed
into that facility so the dose.

Even though the you would
receive a lethal dose.

If you stood beside the glass canister
within about fifteen minutes.

Once it's placed into the borehole

there's no appreciate no measurable
dose to a worker on top of the.

The floor there.

One of the most recent enhancements.

In the melter is to improve mixing.

So about two years ago we installed argon
bubblers in the melter and this shows.

A couple of thermal modeling
this was the natural can action

before the melt of the bubblers were
installed and then this is the heat.

Convection in with the argon bubblers
installed you can see much better.

Seen as a result of this the.

Throughput in the melter is bid increase
the melting throughput has been increased

by about fifty percent from about one
hundred thirty to two hundred pounds

per hour we're still evaluating
the impacts of the melter

the bubblers as it could enhance the gas.

Releases as well as we're looking at how

resistant to corrosion
are the bubblers as that.

So we're evaluating those but

it looks very promising to enhance
the throughput through the D.W.P..

Now like to turn my attention to the salt
waste processing part get into some

separations chemistry and
processes strontium

there is a sufficient amount of
strontium ninety and the alpha emitting

radionuclides principally plutonium
isotopes plutonium to thirty eight and

to thirty nine that require separation
before disposal of the low activity waste.

We are doing that using inorganic
on exchanger Monosodium Titan they

have an S.C.M. image of the Monosodium
Titan a somewhat spherical shaped material

that originally discovered at
Sandy in the mid seventy's.

We've modified the synthesis of
the material at Savannah River in the.

It eighty's late early ninety's for

deployment with our waste to give
the somewhat spherical shape material.

It's about one to ten
microns in size to give you.

So it's a fine powder and
as we deployed in the act and

I groove of process it's a batch
process where we take the waste mixing.

With the Monosodium tighten eight for
twelve hours.

Then we separate the M.S.T.
loaded with the strontium and

transuranics using a crossflow centered
metal filter the solids would then go to

the defense waste processing facility for
incorporation the borosilicate glass the.

Decontaminated super Nate didn't goes
to our cesium separation process

the aconite removal process
began in two thousand and eight.

Employing this technology and
it's run very successfully think the next

slide show some plutonium two
thirty eight data performance data.

Our initial activity in Becker rails
per liter around a million barrels

per liter for the incoming plutonium
two thirty eight activity and

that you can see over
each of the large batches

which represent about four hundred to six
hundred thousand gallons of waste and

the each bike or a batch which is
about five thousand gallons per patch.

We've seen very good performance
plutonium removal performance

on the order of about
two orders of magnitude.

Which is actually a little bit higher
than we see in the laboratory mainly

because the way they operate you
actually achieve multiple contacts.

Of the waste solution with the solids.

The way they actually run their batch
tanks and their filter feed tanks.

One.

They slide shows the data for
Strontium ninety.

Again very good performance.

We're about an order of magnitude higher
activity in the strontium about ten

million per leader and
we're down to typically below

one hundred thousand and ninety.

So very good performance for us.

Strontium removal.

Again the performance.

Has been much better than we expected.

You might notice that actually looking
the say this is our waist except

the criteria limit.

We actually didn't have to remove
the strontium ninety to meet the waist

acceptance criteria but our permit says it
will do the world will treat with M.S.T.

and so we have been treated.

Even though we have not.

Needed to meet the waste
acceptance criteria but

it does give us good performance based
in this this facility is serving as

a as a pilot plant for
our larger scale facility so

we've got a very valuable operating
experience from running this facility.

The.

What we call our modular caustic
side solve an extraction unit.

Shown on these photographs.

We had to happen in existing
facility located adjacent to the H.

tank farm and we're employing
a solvent extraction process using

the Collect serene extract it a photograph
of the central focal contactors

we have eighteen thousand trickle
contactors in this facility seven for

extraction two for scrubbing seven for
stripping and then two for

washing the solvent before it's
return to reuse after installing

the trickle contactors we finished
the roof of the facility so

that's now what it looks like today.

This this facility can process about.

A million gallons a year.

And as I mentioned it started
up in two thousand and eight.

It uses to collect serene extract it
referred to as Calix the solvent also can.

A modifier which helps in
the caesium separation.

By.

Increasing the Cybill T. of the extract
and we also use a suppressor to

mitigate effects of impurities
of organic based impurities

on the performance traction performance.

And we use ice apart help which is a blend
of hydrocarbons as the devil you want.

If you're not familiar with some critical
contactors a very efficient method

to both mix in contact your
your two immiscible liquids and

then they then X. separate them
all in one piece of equipment so

the two streams come in are are well
mixed by rotational rate and

then with this in triple force
the two SALT two liquids are separated

based on density so that you separate your
organic phase from your aqueous phase.

The cycle is really dependent
on the nitrate swing

extract cesium nitrate actually into the
organic pace to maintain charge neutrality

during the extraction step you will also
extract potassium that in the waste it's

actually potassium is present
in about two orders of

magnitude higher concentration in cesium
So you do get extraction of potassium.

During we've been scrub.

The organic by contacting with dilute
nitric acid fifty million molar.

And that pulls all most of the potassium.

Out of the solvent and then we can
efficiently strip from the solvent.

With very dilute nitric acid one million
dollar nitric acid to get the cesium by.

Back out in a very reasoned
in a concentrated solution.

I've already talked about this the
different extraction banks are scrub bank

airstrip bank and these are the various
hold tanks for the process.

And we process at about ten to thirty
leaders per minute in this facility.

A graph showing
the performance of the cesium.

Our feet in which referred to from tank
forty nine the decontaminated solution.

C A D F of about one hundred or
more in cesium So

this is the decontaminated salt solution
that would then go to Salt stone.

The concentrate is much higher and
cesium activities you expect.

And that's what would then feed to
the defense waste processing facility.

A very good performance in decontaminated
and cesium from the waste.

To date.

Summary of the various macro batches.

So more than seven and a half
million leaders have been processed.

We've separated about one hundred fifty
Curies of the Potomac the I'm about eleven

hundred Curies of strontium ninety and
over one hundred seventy thousand Curies.

Of cesium from the waste today.

In our polyps Cayle facility.

The salt waste processing facility
up is under construction.

It will it has a capacity of about.

An order of magnitude higher
than the R.P.M. so you facility.

It's due to come online in
about fiscal year fourteen.

And it will employ the same
technologies Monosodium Titan eight for

strontium in act.

Separations.

And it's solving extraction for
cesium separation.

The recent development.

Is deploying separation processes in tank.

We've designed.

He's made a point.

What we call the small
column on exchange process.

And there will be installing to
an exchange columns within a waste tank.

Preceding sending the waste
to the I exchange columns.

We do a solid liquid separation because
you don't want solids in your feed

to the odd exchange columns.

So we filter the way solution first
to remove any solids that will

create then goes to the on exchange
columns will be used in a silica

exchange material referred to as C.S.T.
which is very effective for

Sept changing with Cesium you know
in this ph fifteen salt solution.

The.

It also will load a little
bit of strontium there are.

Has some affinity first for structure but

it does not take out any
of the trench erratic.

Radionuclides So we will be deploying
Monosodium Titan eight as part

of the batch removal step
within the waste tank.

So will be mixing the contents of the one
point three million gallon waste tank

to achieve the.

The bulk of the strontium removal and
all of the tranche erratic removal.

Pests that slide the final step
as I've mentioned after we've.

Separated the the strontium.

Caesium the trencher radix is
to dispose of the low level.

Decontaminated waste solution in this case
we're using a cement based waste form.

This is a photograph of the salt facility
that began operation in one thousand nine

hundred to date.

It's processed.

Over ten million gallons of waste.

The.

Other view showing the process facility.

This is our our dry feeds area.

And then after mix seen
forming the grout mixture.

It's popped to our submit.

Vaults.

This is our first vault.

This is the second vault.

That is currently being used
this one is is complete.

We also want to salt waste processing
facility starts up will need for

bigger vaults and
we've gone to wonderful design.

There were have been some issues with
seepage from the rectangular vaults and.

We think that with this cylindrical vaults
will minimize that seepage problem and

this is various views
during the construction and

finally after completion
of the first two vaults

will be once the salt waste
processing facility comes online.

We will be filling two of
these vaults per year.

For the next twenty plus years.

So we'll have lots of cylindrical
prong concrete model this side.

I'd now like to move into some
technology developments and

describe about twenty percent of our.

Waste.

Has sufficient plutonium activity
that will not be effectively treated

to remove that activity by a single's
contact with amount of sodium tightening.

So we've been looking for.

We instituted about a decade
ago now programs to look at for

improved materials for
the plutonium principally for

plateauing and
to a lesser degree strontium remove all.

And we found that if we treated
the Monosodium type name with peroxide.

Which converts that type in
a into a proc so tight and.

As evidenced by this
nice bright yellow color.

We found a much improved performance for

plutonium removal and
to a lesser degree with strontium removal.

And interestingly it almost shut off.

The up to the affinity for
uranium uptake completely.

I show on this slide.

Here's the strontium activity.

We're using the strontium eighty
five tracer in these experiments.

So the activities expressed in December
creations per minute per milliliter and

with time.

You see the control.

No change in strontium activity with
point two grams per liter of sorbent.

This is the image of the performance and
then this is the modified or

the proc so type in a performance so about
an order of magnitude better performance

in super strontium removal
a factor of five to ten for

put Tony and
we see even better performance.

I've changed units on you here.

I'm now working in mass concentration
micrograms per liter for plateauing.

And you can see the control
vs the baseline M.S.T.

and now this proc to tighten.

Much more effective removal of plutonium.

Which we attribute largely
to a surface area fact.

If you look at it.

I didn't pick it out but.

If you look at the surface areas of
the M.S.T. versus the modified M.S.T.

there's about an order of magnitude
increase in the surface area.

Of the proxy tightly.

But that doesn't explain
everything because one is.

If you have higher surface area.

Why do you turn off your rainy I'm uptake.

So I talked to a few
people today about that.

And so
we're continuing to investigate why.

We've changed by converting
to a proxy Titan A.

What are we changing about
the specific height exchange site

that leads to this selectivity.

And another sideline to that is
your aim uptake is not affected

at different ph is near neutral ph or
acidic a Ph.

It will take up your
rainy I'm very nicely.

But only under out when conditions.

Is it in his inhibiting the exchange
between the urine L.-I and

and the sodium in the prox of tightness.

But nevertheless we are wrapping up
the development of this material you see

about a three X. increase in throughput
because you can use less material.

And that leads to faster filter Fluxus.

As well as the faster
uptake of the material so

you can go to sure a contact times.

And we expect to deploy this material
after start up the salt waste process and

facility.

Another area is converting.

The Monosodium Titan eight or
the proxy Titan eight into a bead form so

that you could deploy the technology
in a continuous column.

It also not only does it lead to more
efficient usage because you're loading.

The material to a higher.

Mass loading.

Then you have more options for
deploying it such as in the small college

exchange facility that we're going
to be deploying in the waste tanks.

So we've we've made some some forms
using some technology from Oakridge.

Assault.

What they called the.

Internal gel ation process.

It's a condensation reaction and

actually uses hydrous titanium oxide
as the binder in making these the.

And so we're we're just early stages
of the development this material but

it does look promising is as
a way to make a bead form

both the M.S.T. and
the modified M.S.T. for deployment.

Breakthrough curve with a very
nice sharp breakthrough curve for

straw Jim for plutonium.

It was for the modified material
we see a much more broad so

obviously there are some improvements
in the in the actual bead material

probably in the area of prosody so that
we can get affective utilization of the.

I exchange material.

Several years ago we did some
experiments I showed you this S.C.M.

image showing this.

Particle morphology for
the Monosodium type in a high resolution

transmission electron microscopy where we.

Embedded the material the solids
in a matrix in thin section that

you reveal actually nanostructure in this
outer fringe region of the particle.

And that is where the bulk of the iron
exchange process occurs when.

We do exchange experiment with
strontium and then look at the T.M.

map of the material you see most of
the strong almost all the strontium

is located in this fringe region which has
this manner of fibrous type structure.

So obviously the idea was well we're
not using this interior can we

can we go to a nano sized material for
a more effective.

Process.

Better more higher efficiency and.

So we looked at three different synthetic
strategies one to deliver the lamination

in which we make the Titan
a converted it to the proton form and

then use tech or butyl ammonium hydroxide

which is been shown in the literature
to the laminate layered materials.

And sure enough I'll show.

That that was a successful route for
making nanofibers of these type Nate which

could also be treated with peroxide to
make the respective peroxide type needs.

There's some literature in.

Showing hydrothermal you can
make us sodium type nanotubes.

And so we looked at that.

Methodology and
then also we had opted we adapted

the synthetic method we use for making
the Monosodium Titan eight the micron size

material to see if we could make that
on the nano scale by principally

by controlling the concentrations
of the reagents and adding us or

fact in to control
the particle growth and.

We did have shown here.

This is again the T M image of the
Monosodium Titan A A T M image of some.

And.
What are called the Nano M.S.T.

about one hundred twenty five or
so man a meters in diameter

and also the T. image of the sodium

titanium oxide nanotubes which been
previously reported in the literature.

So we were encouraged that yes we
could make these nano tightening nano

size type Nates we checked
out their performance for

the radio chemical separation so
compared to the micron size M.S.T. For

example here is what we call
the strontium decontamination factor.

So that's just the ratio of the initial.

Concentration divided by the concentration
at a point in time and you can see

very rapid uptake of strontium it's
essentially at equilibrium after just.

About two about an hour.

Whereas the the micron size
material takes much longer.

And really it's even more than twenty
four hours to reach equilibrium

the nanotubes weren't quite as fast.

Or didn't have as high a capacity for
strontium as the M.S.T. were Patel odium.

There wasn't as big an effect.

We didn't see necessarily more rapid
uptake because we're still we're still

seeing it after after time
compared to the M.S.T. and

and even less removal than we see with
the micron sized material so although.

You know they're still
performing design exchangers and

have very high surface areas.

Compared to the micron size materials.

The performance under these conditions
aren't correlating with surface area so

I suggest that perhaps
all the work we're making

nano size materials
with high surface area.

We're not making torch insights
that are appropriate for

the rate of chemical
separations that we want.

Under the environmental conditions
high alkalinity high on experience.

So one area of interest that I have is
saying can we characterize the nature

of those I exchange sites and
try to modify our synthetic

strategies to reduce materials with
highly specific Thorp insights.

Or strontium in plutonium.

So any ideas are more than welcome.

You have focused on on
the radio chemical separations

by no means is is that the only
thing these are good for

both the micron size material
as well as the Nano type Nates

will exchange of variety
of metal ions under

both weakly acidic neutral
conditions show some examples.

It's they are quite personal of materials.

We've got a project of
where I'm looking at.

These materials for.

Fuel cycle separations under
weekly acidic conditions and

they are looking promising for
that application.

So the and

what I see these materials is probably
most attractive for polishing treatment.

I mean they're certainly not going to
be suitable because of their cost for

bulk wastewater treatment but
for a final polishing step when

you go from a few parts per million
down to parts per billion levels.

I think these would be very
suitable performance for

wide variety of industrial
type pollutants.

Back to the solvent
extraction our colleague.

It Oakridge have come
up with a new solvent.

A similar collects rain but

with a different side chain which
actually increases SA ability.

They've changed the suppressor go
on to this wanted on a quantity.

And.

Also have changed the.

Scrubbing solution to
a slightly basic solution and

extracting with boric acid as
a consequence of the change in the extract

it and the scrub and the suppressor
they now can achieve decontamination

factors of greater than forty thousand
in our our policy kill facility.

If you really remember we were seeing
DIA decontamination factors of about

one hundred to maybe two
hundred in that facility.

So in the same equipment.

We've gone from one hundred to two
hundred to more than forty thousand.

So we plan to deploy that in
the salt waste processing facility.

After start up.

So in summary we we've
developed processes we've

got facilities either operating or
soon to be operating.

That will permit leave dispose of
the waste put them in waste forms

that will be suitable for
long term disposal.

But I'd like to wrap up with
something completely different.

Get away from radioactive waste and

talk sense since as we do
include the biomolecular.

Faculty in the school.

I wanted to talk briefly about
some applications where we've

taken these tight Nates and
are looking at the medical applications.

Turns out.

We've seen that the the sodium
type it's in another themselves.

For most of the cancer cell lines that
we've been best a gaited showed no

toxicity to the cancer cells or
to normal healthy non cancer cells.

But when we exchange metals
on to these tight Nates For

example gold or platinum palladium mercury

when we didn't contact those Metal
Exchange materials with the cancer cells

we see the the cancer cells or are killed.

As evidence by we're measuring this S.D.H.

activity which is indicative of the R.N.A.
for

replication he did the so

we don't know the mechanism of this but
it does look at track to as a these

type needs as a platform for
providing metals to the.

That will inhibit cancer cell growth and

can vary from the gold to
Mercury we've looked at.

Let's see we've got the gold in
the Mercury and also Cisplatin the system

you know platinum have
also been even more.

This is also for the nano type Nates
we've prepared the gold three.

And you can see a very
enhanced form it's in and

stopping the growth of the cancer cells.

When we loaded with gold three on the nano
M.S.T. for the nano tubes we see somewhat.

We don't really know why
it seemed to level off

during these intermediate
concentration to then went down again.

But the nanotubes don't seem to be
as effective in this set of tests so

but we're still continuing
to explore that.

We've all.

So done some test with bacteria and

realize that the these
graphs are real hard to see.

But the bottom line is even the micro
size type Nates with various metals

will inhibit bacterial growth
in this case we get now

which this is this is an oral bacteria our
colleagues that are doing this work or

are at the dental school at the University
of Washington in their interest and

we've they've recently received an I
grant to investigate these materials

as an additive in making extending
the life of dental composites The idea

is with the addition of these metal
type Nates within the composite.

You would provide a supply of metals
that would inhibit the growth of

the bacteria responsible for corrosion
of the composite in the biofilm So

that's where we're
focusing our studies and

it does look like the goal three loaded
tight and they seem to be the best

to date in terms of inhibiting
a variety of bacteria.

I'm learning all this biochemistry and.

You know tens of bacteria that are present

in our mouth and some of them
are good bacteria as it turns out so

you won't you don't want to necessarily
cure all the bacteria only the bad

bacteria so I'm not sure if we can
differentiate that currently but

that will be a gold work and
that I'd like to be

cleared by just acknowledging most
of the funding for the work has

been through the Department of
Energy Office of environmental management.

Also the S. R. and L. laboratory directed
research and development program.

If you're familiar with the National Labs
the funding that comes into the lab is to.

And then they use that fund to
develop new projects and fun new

projects to explore new ideas and that's
mainly where we went and got the funding

to look at the nano Titan eights and
some of these medical applications.

Of colleagues at the lab may nine
minute Sandia used to collaborate or

for many years in
the proxy of Titan eight.

Bruce Morton and

his group in Oak Ridge who developed
this solvent extract process.

John what Haha who's the principal
investigator at the University

of Washington originally was at Georgia.

Health Sciences University and.

At in Augusta and then Joe Lewis and

Regina Messer at G.H.
SU in Augusta as well.

And with that I thank you for

your attention a bit glad
to answer any questions.

Super.

Typically.

Most most of this while the sludge
would grab the saddle so.

Africa fresh waste would come into
a tank over a period of months.

And the additions were such to
minimise the mixing of the sludge

region of the tank so they can dislodge
would settle to the bottom of the tank and

at some point you would fill the tank and

we would decamped the super
night off into another tank.

And so gradually we would build
up tanks with sludge layers.

And then we would use other tanks to
feed the evaporator concentrate that and

make salt cake in other tanks.

That's of course you know
there's there's limited space.

Production campaign in requirements.

Were you know nothing
ever works out perfectly.

So we have tanks out there
though that have sludge and

then assault take layer then another
sludge layer another sole cake layer.

So when we go to retrieve that waste.

We will have to.

Basically dissolve up the salt cake.

They'll be some sludge
that gets in trained

in that super Nate as we dissolve it and
pump it to another tank.

So we'll have to gravity settle that
sludge to segregate it from the supernal.

So as we work down the tank will.

We'll do some some large
scale solid liquid

gravity separations and
that's what leads to a very long.

Times to prepare batches of sludge I
mean it takes us about two years to wash

do caustic Leach and wash a sludge and
prepare it for processing.

Yes.

So if you're if you're
if you're interested in

large scale chemical processing.

Have I got a job for you.

Yes.

You know I've I've I guess I have

I think the trochee I'm the plenary

strontium results that we did suggested
that we we have enhanced strontium uptake.

It was much faster with the nanomaterials
we reached equilibrium within and an hour.

Whereas with with
the micron size material.

It's it's a well I don't
show it on that plot but

it's probably weeks to reach equilibrium.

Sir.

And so I think that

I think strontium uptake
is is basically it's.

Independent under these conditions

of the the bulk solution chemistry and

we we do have we have increased the site
population at the at the surface.

And basically made say all the particles
sessile or strontium uptake.

I don't think that's the case for
plutonium or the transuranics.

But it may also again
still be modules moderated

by the solution chemistry
environment because at

the five molar sodium mine concentration
that we're doing these tests.

And the high hydroxide you probably
have the most of the trencher

radix present has an ionic
hydroxy complexes and

there has to be some chemical conversion
to go from the an ionic hydroxy

complex to the an ionic surface
side under which I had.

Change occurs and that may be

look let me not being able to see the it's
the increased surface area factor.

So probably what we would
need to do really is

to to see if we really have increased
the population of surface sites for

petroleum is go to a simpler system to
test that only has put Tony in present.

And doesn't have the huge
excess of Sodium Salts.

So we're actually looking at just the pure
I exchanged reaction between the sodium

tightening and
the pull Tony I'm material to it.

It's so complicated in this test.

I mean we've got all four sorbate and
and the high Onyx drink that it.

It's very difficult to absolutely
say we haven't increased the surface

chemistry and
it may be that that we really haven't

produced under these
conditions active sites for

plutonium uptake that
we haven't increased.

The respective sites of
available to plutonium

that were there in the Nano structure
of the micron size material.