Treatment of solid wastes with molten salt oxidation

Molten salt oxidation (MSO) is a robust thermal treatment process that can be used to oxidatively and efficiently destroy the organic constituents of mixed and hazardous wastes, and energetic materials [1-7]. An integrated pi lot-scale MSO demonstration facility has been installed and operated at Law rence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This facility, which has been o perational since December 1997, was built to demonstrate the capability of processing organic feed at a commercially useful scale (5-7 kg/h). The inte grated MSO treatment train consists of several subsystems:a primary MSO pro cessor (reaction vessel), an off-gas conditioning system, a salt recycle sy stem, and a ceramic final forms immobilization system. The MSO/off-gas syst em began operations in December 1997, while the salt recycle system and the ceramic final forms immobilization system were activated in May 1998 and S eptember 1998, respectively. During FY98, we have successfully conducted te sts in the MSO facility on a variety of liquid and solid organic feeds: chl orinated solvents, tributyl phosphate/kerosene mixtures, PCB-contaminated w aste oils and solvents, shredded booties and coveralls, plastic pellets, io n-exchange resins, activated carbon, several radioactive-spike organics, an d two well-characterized low-level liquid mixed wastes. This paper presents the results from the operation of the integrated pilot-scale MSO system fo r the treatment of several solid feeds including activated carbon, ion exch ange resin, plastic pellets, and shredded booties and gloves. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.