The method and system disclosed provides radionuclide contamination mitigation by applying an aqueous carrier solution comprising a cation to a surface bearing a radionuclide contaminant to cause the radionuclide contaminant to enter solution forming a laden solution, then contacting the laden solution with a sequestering agent to bind to the radionuclide contaminant to form a laden sequestering agent. The removal and sequestration of the radionuclide contaminant from the contaminated surface leads directly to a reduction in the amount of radiologically-impacted critical infrastructure and the environment. The method and system are able to be performed or utilized economically with materials quickly available in the event of a radiological dispersion event.

A method for processing a radioactive liquid waste containing boron of the present invention includes: a molar ratio control step of adding an alkali metal or an alkali metal compound to a radioactive liquid waste containing boron to control an alkali metal/boron molar ratio in the radioactive liquid waste to be 0.8 or more; a drying step of drying the radioactive liquid waste having the controlled molar-ratio using a dryer to form a powdered waste; a dissolving step of mixing the powdered waste with kneading water to prepare a solution; and a kneading step of adding a hydraulic inorganic solidifying material to the solution, and kneading the hydraulic inorganic solidifying material and the solution for solidification.

A receptor for the simultaneous removal of oxoanions and their counterions from aqueous phase, particularly containing radioactive wastes, containing amide groups specifically coordinating the oxoanions, as well as moieties specifically coordinating cations, according to the present invention is characterised in that it contains within one molecule domains binding oxoanions and domains binding cations, preferably adapting a molecular structure of a general formula: (I) wherein Z this is a group containing crown ether, preferably a benzocrown group, X is any substituent, including the YZ grouping, and Y is any substituent or 0 (i.e. a direct bond between N and Z), where the oxoanion binding domain is a squaramide unit coordinating the oxoanions through amide groups, and squaramide contains additional substituents that increase or decrease the acidity of its amide protons, compared to unsubstituted squaramide, whereas the counter ion binding domain is a crown ether of a size adjusted to the type of binding cation, which forms part of at least one of the aforementioned substituents of squaramide, where the receptor has the ability to remove oxoanions and their counterions from aqueous phase to another water-immiscible phase, preferably to organic phase, and has the ability to form soluble complexes in at least one of the aforementioned phases. The invention considers also a method of removing oxoanions in the form of inorganic salts from aqueous phase, using receptors of the invention in the form of organic molecules containing amide groups, according to the invention is characterised in that it uses the aforementioned receptors for simultaneous binding of oxoanions and their counterions in aqueous phase, preferably acidic when using the receptor with substituents increasing acidity of squaramide protons, or alkaline when using the receptor with substituents decreasing acidity of squaramide protons. A sensor for detecting oxoanions according to the invention is characterised in that it uses the aforementioned receptors, dissolved or suspended in an organic solvent or in a mixture of organic solvents, forming coloured complexes in contact with the phase containing given oxoanions. The preparation for removing oxoanions from aqueous solutions, particularly containing radioactive waste at the stage preceding their disposal by vitrification, is characterised in that it contains the receptor according to the invention, dissolved or suspended in the water-immiscible phase, and the appropriate amount of counterion facilitating extraction. A process of utilisation of aqueous solutions by vitrification, particularly solutions containing radioactive waste, is character

A method for processing a radioactive liquid waste containing boron of the present invention includes: a molar ratio control step of adding an alkali metal or an alkali metal compound to a radioactive liquid waste containing boron to control an alkali metal/boron molar ratio in the radioactive liquid waste to be 0.8 or more; a drying step of drying the radioactive liquid waste having the controlled molar-ratio using a dryer to form a powdered waste; a dissolving step of mixing the powdered waste with kneading water to prepare a solution; and a kneading step of adding a hydraulic inorganic solidifying material to the solution, and kneading the hydraulic inorganic solidifying material and the solution for solidification.

A method for treating a fluid waste, comprising adding one or more process additives to the fluid waste in an amount sufficient to change the wasteform chemistry is disclosed. The addition step may be chosen from adding a dispersant or a deflocculant an additive to decrease the reactive metal components, to bind fission products and decrease volatilization of toxic or radioactive elements or species during thermal treatment, or to target and react with the fine particle size component of the waste to decrease dusting and immobilize components in a durable phase. After mixing the fluid waste with the described additives the waste is eventually hot-isostatic pressing, to form a durable and stable waste form.

There is disclosed a canister for interim storage and subsequent consolidation of waste materials via hot pressing. In an embodiment, the canister comprises at least one ion exchange material, and is configured to: house the ion exchange material after it is exchanged with a contaminating ion without releasing the contaminating ion; and consolidate via hot-isostatic pressing. There is also disclosed a contacting a fluid waste with an ion exchange material, wherein the ion exchange material is located in a canister; evacuating the canister; and hot isostatically pressing (HIP) the canister until it collapses under HIP conditions.

Apparatuses, processes and methods for the separation, isolation, or removal of radioactive isotopes from liquid radioactive waste, these processes and methods employing a plurality of microspheres. In some embodiments, the processes and methods further include the vitrification of the separated isotopes, generally with the plurality of microspheres. Vitrification is often a step in a larger scheme of preparing the radioactive isotopes for long-term storage or other disposition.

A method for immobilizing liquid radioactive waste is provided, the method having the steps of mixing waste with polymer to form a non-liquid waste; contacting the non-liquid waste with a solidifying agent to create a mixture, heating the mixture to cause the polymer, waste, and filler to irreversibly bind in a solid phase, and compressing the solid phase into a monolith. The invention also provides a method for immobilizing liquid radioactive waste containing tritium, the method having the steps of mixing liquid waste with polymer to convert the liquid waste to a non-liquid waste, contacting the non-liquid waste with a solidifying agent to create a mixture, heating the mixture to form homogeneous, chemically stable solid phase, and compressing the chemically stable solid phase into a final waste form, wherein the polymer comprises approximately a 9:1 weight ratio mixture of styrene block co-polymers and cross linked co-polymers of acrylamides.

A method for immobilizing liquid radioactive waste is provided, the method having the steps of mixing waste with polymer to form a non-liquid waste; contacting the non-liquid waste with a solidifying agent to create a mixture, heating the mixture to cause the polymer, waste, and filler to irreversibly bind in a solid phase, and compressing the solid phase into a monolith. The invention also provides a method for immobilizing liquid radioactive waste containing tritium, the method having the steps of mixing liquid waste with polymer to convert the liquid waste to a non-liquid waste, contacting the non-liquid waste with a solidifying agent to create a mixture, heating the mixture to form homogeneous, chemically stable solid phase, and compressing the chemically stable solid phase into a final waste form, wherein the polymer comprises approximately a 9:1 weight ratio mixture of styrene block co-polymers and cross linked co-polymers of acrylamides.