A process for immobilizing hazardous waste includes mixing the hazardous waste with a non-swelling clay, a cementitious binder and, optionally, water, and allowing the resulting mixture to set to an immobilized waste material. The process can also include dispersing the hazardous waste in the non-swelling clay to form a dry mixture, mixing the cementitious binder and, optionally, water with the dry mixture to produce a plastic mixture, and allowing the plastic mixture to set to the immobilized waste material.

A hazardous material storage bank includes a wellbore extending into the Earth and including an entry at least proximate a terranean surface, the wellbore including a substantially vertical portion, a transition portion, and a substantially horizontal portion; a storage area coupled to the substantially horizontal portion of the well bore, the storage area within or below a shale formation, the storage area vertically isolated, by the shale formation, from a subterranean zone that includes mobile water; a storage container positioned in the storage area, the storage container sized to fit from the wellbore entry through the substantially vertical, the transition, and the substantially horizontal portions of the wellbore, and into the storage area, the storage container including an inner cavity sized enclose hazardous material; and a seal positioned in the wellbore, the seal isolating the storage portion of the wellbore from the entry of the wellbore.

A hazardous material repository includes a drillhole formed from a terranean surface into a subterranean zone that includes a geologic formation, where the drillhole includes a vertical portion and a non-vertical portion coupled to the vertical portion by a transition portion, the non-vertical portion includes a storage volume for hazardous waste; a casing installed between the geologic formation and the drillhole, the casing including one or more metallic tubular sections; at least one canister positioned in the storage volume of the non-vertical portion of the drillhole, the at least one canister sized to enclose a portion of hazardous material and including an outer housing formed from a non-corrosive metallic material; and a backfill material inserted into the non-vertical portion of the drillhole to fill at least a portion of the storage volume between the at least one canister and the casing.

A system and method of disposing nuclear waste and other hazardous waste includes means for, and the steps of, blending a waste stream, which includes either a radioactive waste or a hazardous waste (or both), with a liquid and, optionally, a solid material to produce a dense fluid and pumping the dense fluid into a tubing string of an injection boring. The dense fluid then exits a perforation in a casing of the injection boring and enters a fracture in a rock strata, where it continues to propagate downward until it reaches an immobilization point. The dense fluid may be a slurry formed by a metal and a cross-linked polymer gel or hydrated clay slurry. The metal can be one that has a melting temperature less than the temperature at the bottom of the injection boring. The solid material could also be other nuclear waste or a radionuclide.

A hazardous material storage bank includes a wellbore extending into the Earth and including an entry at least proximate a terranean surface, the wellbore including a substantially vertical portion, a transition portion, and a substantially horizontal portion; a storage area coupled to the substantially horizontal portion of the well bore, the storage area within or below a shale formation, the storage area vertically isolated, by the shale formation, from a subterranean zone that includes mobile water; a storage container positioned in the storage area, the storage container sized to fit from the wellbore entry through the substantially vertical, the transition, and the substantially horizontal portions of the wellbore, and into the storage area, the storage container including an inner cavity sized enclose hazardous material; and a seal positioned in the wellbore, the seal isolating the storage portion of the wellbore from the entry of the wellbore.

The invention relates to a sealing wall building material, which has a binding agent with cement and aggregates. It is provided according to the invention that the binding agent comprises a mixture of cement and fly ash, wherein it is free of clay material, and that it has an impermeability with a kf value of 10.sup.7 m/s and less.

An underground ventilated system for storing nuclear waste materials. The system includes a storage module having an outer shell defining an internal cavity and an inner shell. A majority of the height of the outer shell may be disposed below grade. The outer shell may include a hermetically sealed bottom. First and second canisters are positioned in lower and upper portions within the cavity respectively in vertically stacked relationship. A centering and spacing ring assembly is interspersed between the first and second canisters to transfer the weight of the upper second canister to the lower first canister. The assembly may include centering lugs which laterally restrain the first and second canisters in case of a seismic event. A natural convection driven ventilated air system cools the canisters to remove residual decay heat to the atmosphere. In one non-limiting embodiment, the shells are made of steel.

Method, apparatus and system for location evaluation and selection of a site, capable of effectively implementing a deep geologic repository for the disposal and storage of high-level nuclear waste and evaluating the waste location by scientific and technical analysis incorporating human and social interaction are provided. In one aspect, engineering, drilling, geological, geographic, and demographic data associated with a plurality of prospective implementation locations and human knowledge and physical infrastructure may be utilized in determining most desirable implementation surface drilling operations.

A petroleum coke carbon capture and sequestration method is provided which includes processing the petroleum coke into a petroleum coke particulate, preparing a slurry including the petroleum coke particulate, and injecting the slurry into an underground area. The underground area could be a live crude oil extraction well, where it could displace crude oil, an underground storage facility, a salt formation, or the like.

Method, apparatus and system for location evaluation and selection of a site, capable of effectively implementing a deep geologic repository for the disposal and storage of high-level nuclear waste and evaluating the waste location by scientific and technical analysis incorporating human and social interaction are provided. In one aspect, engineering, drilling, geological, geo-graphic, and demographic data associated with a plurality of prospective implementation locations and human knowledge and physical infrastructure may be utilized in determining most desirable implementation surface drilling operations.