Geomelting
Encyclopedia
Geomelting involves mixing nuclear waste with soil
or other glass-formers in large, lined metal tanks. The mix - 20% waste and 80% soil - is heated through two graphite
electrodes at temperatures of up to 3,000℃. Gases, mostly carbon dioxide
and traces of hydrocarbon
s, are drawn off and treated separately. The molten substance is then allowed to cool and forms a large glass block that is harder than concrete.
This process, a type of vitrification, was devised by the Battelle Memorial Institute
in Columbus, Ohio
.
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
or other glass-formers in large, lined metal tanks. The mix - 20% waste and 80% soil - is heated through two graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
electrodes at temperatures of up to 3,000℃. Gases, mostly carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
and traces of hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
s, are drawn off and treated separately. The molten substance is then allowed to cool and forms a large glass block that is harder than concrete.
This process, a type of vitrification, was devised by the Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.