A collective of Oak Ridge groups recently disposed of highly radioactive waste that had been kept at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for more than 50 years, as announced in an April 15 press release.
The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge processed and shipped highly radioactive source, which contained radium-226 and boron, out of state for permanent disposal.
At the Transuranic Waste Processing Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the groups used a multi-layered containment system to ship the processed waste for disposal. The groups also packaged the multi-layered container in a cask to ensure additional safety precautions during its transport.
The material was previously used at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for experiments in the 1970s for researchers to better understand the structure of the atomic nucleus and what kept it together, the Office of Environment Management said.
In February, the Transuranic Waste Processing Center returned to full production after repairs at the facility. Once processed at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center, the materials will be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.
