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Characterization | Closure
| Immobilization
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Pretreatment | Retrieval | Safety
Once the waste has been retrieved from the tanks, it must be treated and packaged into a form that will prevent radiation and hazardous chemicals from reaching humans and the environment for many years to come. Pretreatment is a critical step in tank cleanup, because it is here that most radionuclides are first separated from the bulk of the chemicals and metals (such as sodium salts, aluminum, and water) that make up the waste. In addition, this step includes separating solids particles from the liquids. This separation process is called pretreatment, because it precedes the final "treatment" process where the waste is immobilized. Efficient pretreatment processes can provide significant cost savings, because the waste containing only trace amounts of radioactivity can be disposed with much less expense than the more highly radioactive waste. Pretreatment also can prevent operations downtime by filtering out solids that can foul downstream treatment processes.
Documents and photos related to Pretreatment
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