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Keyword：radioactive waste treatment
US Hanford Submits Permit Modification Applications to Accelerate Tank Waste Cleanup via "Vitrification + Grouting"
The U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Field Office recently submitted two permit modification applications to the Washington State Department of Ecology, planning to accelerate the cleanup of radioactive waste in tanks at the Hanford site through a dual-track treatment strategy of "vitrification + grouting." The DOE stated that this approach is expected to reduce risks from aging tanks and save taxpayers billions of dollars. The waste primarily targeted by these applications is low-activity liquid waste processed through the Tank-Side Cesium Removal system, which removes more than 99.9% of radioactive materials from the treated waste. The DOE stated that the proposed permit changes would integrate tank-side treatment, grout solidification, and out-of-state disposal into a standardized process to continue advancing the treatment and transfer of some waste beyond the capacity of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.
2026-08-11
Hanford Site Completes Radioactive Waste Removal from 24th Underground Tank
The Hanford team under the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management recently continued its tank cleanup mission, removing radioactive waste from the 24th underground single-shell tank. The cleanup targeted the A-106 single-shell tank. In less than seven months, Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Storage Project workers transferred approximately 79,000 gallons of waste that had been stored for decades into a double-shell tank for continued safe storage. During operations, the contractor first used water to dissolve salt-based waste on the tank surfaces, then reused the transferred liquid waste to mobilize sludge. This method had last been used nearly a decade ago. The Hanford Site produced plutonium for U.S. nuclear weapons programs between 1944 and 1989...
2026-08-10