Fewer tooth-jarring potholes may challenge your winter driving thanks to technology originally developed at Argonne National Laboratory with funding from OST’s Mixed Waste Focus Area. Bindan Corporation of Chicago is marketing a number of commercial products based on Ceramicrete, a unique phosphate binder system licensed from ANL. Chemically bonded phosphate ceramics (CPBCs) were originally developed as a means of stabilizing hazardous materials, including radioactive and mixed waste, because phosphates are natural mineral analogs of radioactive elements (see Initiatives, August 1997). ANL received an R&D 100 award in 1996 for the development of Ceramicrete. CBPCs tolerate high waste loading, produce final waste forms with superior long-term durability, and generate minimal secondary waste streams. Research continues to optimize the waste-stabilization capacity of CBPCs during demonstrations on actual DOE waste streams. Fernald silo waste containing radium and high concentrations of lead has been stabilized in CBPCs with no leaching to ground water, even with waste loading as high as 73 weight percent. CBPCs have also stabilized Rocky Flats ash waste containing 17 weight percent plutonium without permitting hydrogen generation. Meanwhile, the benefits of the CPBC process are spawning a variety of interesting applications. Phosphates can be processed in ceramic form at ambient temperatures, so firing is not required. The curing process, which generates some heat of its own, produces a substance that is harder and denser than Portland cement and that binds to nearly any solid object, including itself. Bindan Corporation was founded in 1996 to develop and market proprietary phosphate-bonded products. One of its premier products is Mono-Patch, a single-component concrete repair material. Mono-Patch is convenient for pavement repairs because it can be used in hot or cold weather and is ready for vehicular traffic after curing only 90 minutes. It exhibits zero shrinkage and resists damage from both the freeze/thaw cycle and deicing chemicals. Mono-Patch also has benefits for indoor use: it is fireproof and off-gases no harmful fumes. The company markets a number of other construction and architectural products besides Mono-Patch and even offers a material for the manufacture of artificial ocean reefs. All Bindan products are dry mixes activated by water using conventional tools and requiring only soap-and-water cleanup. The Bindan Corporation’s Web site is located at www.bindancorp.com. The company’s president, Thomas Lally, can be reached at (630) 734-0277. ANL is seeking other companies interested in developing other commercial applications for CBPCs. Material for R&D use is available at modest cost directly from ANL.
SpinTek system up and running at Los Alamos
Replacing a 30-year-old system in the LANL facility, this landmark full-scale installation for low-level radioactive waste will treat up to 8 million gallons annually. The equipment includes a tubular crossflow ultrafilter that removes virtually all suspended particles larger than about 0.01 micrometers, concentrating radioactive contaminants of the feed water 70 times. A centrifugal microfilter achieves a further 10,000-fold concentration, producing a waste slurry of 30 percent solids. Centrifugal force draws solid waste to the perimeter of spinning disk-shaped microfilters, keeping the filters clear and enabling continuous operation. A spiral-wound reverse osmosis unit polishes the filtrate from both units to effluent suitable for discharge. Compared with the old system, the new equipment achieves a 70 percent reduction in secondary waste destined for disposal.
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