Chemical Mechanisms for Gas Generation in Tank 241-SY-101

In the early 1940s, production of nuclear materials for use in weapons began at the newly established Hanford works under the Manhattan Project. Although several chemical processes were used to separate plutonium from uranium and fission products, all of the wastes were stored in underground mild steel tanks ranging in size from about 190 m3 to 3800 m3. Use of mild steel required that the wastes be made alkaline before being placed in the tanks.