Dewatering Innovation FOR SEDIMENTS SLUDGES FILTER MEDIA PACKAGING

Dewatering Innovation FOR SEDIMENTS, SLUDGES, & FILTER MEDIA PACKAGING PRESENTED BY: WILLIAM BOGGIA, UCOR LGWO

Dewatering Innovation �The Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations (LGWO) project, located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, generates various sludges during their wastewater treatment process that requires dewatering. �Original process consisted of placing PVC tubing in the bottom of a 90 ft 3 box and sluicing the sludge into the box. Suction was then applied to the PVC tubes to remove water that would settle out of the material.

Dewatering Innovation �Issues with the old process were: Process took several evolutions � 6 to 8 evolutions of pulling water Worker radiation exposure � Unnecessary Near High Moisture content remained after dewatering � 60 to 65% Transportation issues � Potential exposure due to repeating the process for liquid to be released during transport High disposal cost � $4, 616/container

Dewatering Innovation �Solutions for the “Old” disposal process Use Liquid-rated Super Sack - $1, 652 Additional Absorbent Evaluate containers for liquid at TSDRF Process/disposal cost of $4, 616 per container.

Dewatering Innovation �New method needed that would: Drain sludges more efficiently Decrease time for dewatering Decrease worker dose rates Reduce absorbent on top of sludges Reduce absorbent under the sludges Proof of process at outside TSDRF (one time only) Send future like-materials to NNSS Reduce costs Eliminate Liquid-rated Super Sacks

Dewatering Innovation �Met with SPS, our vendor, to evaluate options Tests with angular sand dewatering bags showed promise Liquid Draining

Dewatering Innovation �The first test with the new system Placed bags inside of frames Secured with 4” wide “hook and loop” Sluiced Zeolite into the bags Applied temporary lids when not in use Placed a Vacuum on the frames Drained for 72 hours

Dewatering Innovation �The results: Material was very dry Zeolite was pulling away from the sides of the bag Zeolite was at 44. 4% moisture Less time spent around the containers

Dewatering Innovation �Loading the bags into the shipping containers Added absorbent on top of the zeolite

Dewatering Innovation �Loading the bags into the shipping containers Closed bags to prepare for removal

Dewatering Innovation �Loading the bags into the shipping containers Lifted bags from frames into shipping containers using a crane

Dewatering Innovation �Desired versus actual results Moisture content dropped from 60 -65% to 44% Dewatering time decreased from 2 months to 72 hours Worker rad dose did not change significantly Added absorbent on top and below the sludges

Dewatering Innovation �Desired versus actual results (continued) Annual cost savings (12 containers) of: � $49, 494 savings for the first year and $81, 281 for subsequent years $17, 564 for liquid-rated vs dewatering bags • $55, 392 for disposal • $1, 890 in absorbent • $6435 in labor • Initial cost of $19, 250 for 5 dewatering frames the first year • Initial cost of $12, 5370 proof-of-process (one-time)

Dewatering Innovation Other uses for dewatering bags � Sump sediment � Granular Activated Carbon � Zeolite � Filtering tank-bottoms � Sewage treatment This process can be utilized in many different operations. The sieve size of the bags can be changed to promote optimal drainage while retaining the waste material.

Dewatering Innovation �Questions