EVALUATION OF HDPE CONTAINERS FOR MACROENCAPSULATION OF MIXED WASTE DEBRIS

Macroencapsulation is currently available at facilities permitted by the U.S. Environmental Protection agency for the treatment of radioactively contaminated hazardous waste. The U.S. Department of Energy is evaluating the use of high-density polyethylene containers to provide a simpler means of meeting macroencapsulation requirements. Macroencapsulation is used for the purpose of isolating waste from the disposal environment in order to meet the Land Disposal Restriction treatment standards for debris-like waste. The containers being evaluated have the potential of providing a long-term reduction in the leachability and subsequent mobility of both the hazardous and radioactive contaminants in this waste while at the same allowing treatment by the generator as the waste is being generated. While the testing discussed in this paper shows that further developmental work is necessary, these tests also indicate that these containers have the potential to reduce the cost, schedule, and complexity of meeting the treatment standard for mixed waste debris.