The work to turn radioactive waste into glass has begun at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Bechtel started the nuclear vitrification operations at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP).
This milestone marks an important step forward in reducing the long-term environmental risks of legacy tank waste in the Hanford area.
The vitrification process involves removing waste from leaking underground tanks, mixing it with additives, and heating it above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step reduces environmental risks
“This milestone represents the realization of a vision shared by many. It reflects decades of teamwork, innovation, and partnership with our customer to solve one of the nation’s most complex environmental challenges—safely and permanently,” said Dena Volovar, President of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security & Environmental business.
“Together with the Department of Energy, the state of Washington, our labor partners, local suppliers, subcontractors, and world-class scientific experts, we’ve turned vitrification into a reality at Hanford. It’s an important step forward in protecting the Columbia River, surrounding communities, and future generations.”
Bechtel designed, built, and commissioned the WTP for the U.S. Department of Energy. In the vitrification process, tank waste is blended with glass-forming materials and heated to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit inside one of two 300-ton melters before being poured into stainless-steel containers for safe, long-term disposal, according to a press release.
Reports revealed that there was also a sigh of relief from those who had feared federal officials might be planning a last-minute retreat from the technique known as vitrification, in which waste is mixed with molten silicate and other materials to create inert glass logs.
The acting head of DOE’s environmental program was fired in early September, prompting speculation that the agency was trying to shift toward storing the waste by mixing it with a cement-like substance called grout, reported Science.
World’s largest radioactive waste treatment facility
As the world’s largest radioactive waste treatment facility, the plant’s successful startup represents a crucial achievement at this scale, demonstrating the ability to stabilize nuclear waste for safe, long-term disposal.
In the coming months, Bechtel’s project team will continue feeding waste and glass-forming materials into the melters, filling stainless-steel containers, and transporting them to the Hanford Site’s Integrated Disposal Facility. During operations, the plant will process an average of 5,300 gallons of tank waste per day.
The site became home to tens of thousands of workers recruited nationwide to support the war effort. Many did not know they were building the world’s first full-scale plutonium reactor until after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hanford eventually grew to nine nuclear reactors producing plutonium for the nation’s arsenal. The last reactor shut down in 1987. Cleanup agreements between Washington state, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency followed in 1989.