Sodium Fluxing and In-situ Glassification for Hazardous Materials Disposal

摘要

Toxic wastes have become a prime consideration in the maintenance of the ecology. Numerous materials of commerce, being unsuitable for landfill and resistance to thermal degradation, pose problems in disposal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency instituted a project to evaluate new approaches to the ultimate disposal of such materials. The study reported here, one segment of the major project, was instituted to assess two innovative techniques--in situ glassification and reactive degradation using liquid sodium. The glassification technique experienced success in the encapsulation of toxic materials. Because of the need for very high reaction temperatures, however, small but significant quantities of the toxic material were vented during reaction. The utilization of a molten sodium medium to thermally degrade toxic materials to products acceptable for direct disposal or recovery was successfully demonstrated. Based upon the data derived and the existing state-of-the-art, a practical system to employ this technique for ultimate disposal appears feasible.