Research Opportunities for Managing the Department of Energy's Transuranic and Mixed Wastes

About 155,000 cubic meters of waste contaminated with both radioactive isotopes and hazardous chemicals are stored at some 30 DOE sites, and another 450,000 cubic meters are buried. While DOE is making a concerted effort to properly dispose of this waste, the amount translates to a multi-decade effort that will require handling, characterizing, and shipping hundreds of thousands of waste containers at a total cost of billions of dollars. This report describes basic scientific research that can lead to new technologies for performing these tasks more safely and cost effectively. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1 Introduction, Background, and Task 2 Framing DOE's Transuranic and Mixed Waste Challenges 3 Research Needs and Opportunities 4 References Appendix A: Overview of the Environmental Management Science Program and Pending Changes Appendix B: The Transuranic and Mixed Waste Inventory Appendix C: History of Alternatives to Incineration Appendix D: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members Appendix E: Presentations to the Committee Appendix F: List of Acronyms