(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0254988A1 Wagner (43) Pub
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US 2005O254988A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0254988A1 Wagner (43) Pub. Date: Nov. 17, 2005 (54) METALALLOY AND METALALLOY Publication Classification STORAGE PRODUCT FOR STORING EAST NEUTRON EMITTERS (51) Int. Cl. ................................................. C22C 43/00 (52) U.S. Cl. .................................................................. 420/1 (75) Inventor: Anthony S. Wagner, Lakeway, TX (US) (57) ABSTRACT Correspondence Address: THE CULBERTSON GROUP, PC. 1114 LOST CREEK BLVD. Aliquid reactant metal alloy includes at least one chemically SUTE 420 active metal for reacting with non-radioactive material in a AUSTIN, TX 78746 (US) mixed waste Stream being treated. The reactant alloy also includes at least one radiation absorbing metal. Radioactive (73) Assignee: Clean Technologies International Cor isotopes in the waste Stream, including any fast neutron poration emitting isotopes alloy with, or disperse in, the chemically Appl. No.: 11/173,271 active metal and the radiation absorbing metals are able to (21) absorb a significant portion of the radioactive emissions (22) Filed: Jul. 1, 2005 asSociated with the isotopes. A transmutation target fraction is included for absorbing fast neutrons and a transmutation Related U.S. Application Data emission absorbing fraction is provided for absorbing emis sions that result from the absorption of a fast neutron by the (63) Continuation of application No. 10/059,808, filed on transmutation target fraction. Non-radioactive constituents Jan. 29, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part of in the waste material are broken down into harmless and application No. 09/334,985, filed on Jun. 17, 1999, useful constituents, leaving the alloyed radioactive isotopes now Pat. No. 6,355,857, which is a continuation-in in the liquid reactant alloy. The reactant alloy may then be part of application No. 09/096,617, filed on Jun. 12, cooled to form one or more ingots in which the radioactive 1998, now abandoned, and which is a continuation isotopes are effectively isolated and Surrounded by the in-part of application No. 09/274,583, filed on Mar. radiation absorbing metals. These ingots comprise the Stor 23, 1999, now Pat. No. 6,195,382. age products for the radioactive isotopes. -2-240 26 Patent Application Publication Nov. 17, 2005 Sheet 1 of 2 US 2005/0254988A1 3. uss 3 & 3 acg 2 g s 3 S 5 s 6 3 C-9 Patent Application Publication Nov. 17, 2005 Sheet 2 of 2 US 2005/0254988A1 US 2005/0254988 A1 Nov. 17, 2005 METALALLOY AND METALALLOY STORAGE alkaline metal alloys. The liquid metal alloy comprised PRODUCT FOR STORING EAST NEUTRON approximately 50% aluminum, 5% to 15% calcium, 5% to EMITTERS 15% copper, 5% to 15% iron, and 5% to 15% zinc. U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,919 to Wagner disclosed a reactant alkaline metal CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED alloy composition comprising between 40% to 95% alumi APPLICATIONS num, 1% to 25% iron, 1% to 25% calcium, 1% to 25% 0001. This application is a continuation of U.S. patent copper, and 1% to 25% zinc. The 919 Wagner patent also application Ser. No. 10/059,808, filed Jan. 29, 2002, entitled disclosed that magnesium could be Substituted for calcium. “METAL ALLOY AND METAL ALLOY STORAGE In both of these Wagner patents, the waste material was PRODUCT FOR STORING RADIOACTIVE MATERI reacted in the liquid alloy held at about 800 degrees Celsius. ALS, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent appli 0005. In the process disclosed in the above-described cation Ser. No. 09/334,985, filed Jun. 17, 1999, and entitled Wagner patents, chlorine atoms in the waste material were “REACTANT METAL ALLOY TREATMENT PROCESS Stripped from the waste compound primarily by the highly FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE (as amended).” (now U.S. reactive aluminum in the liquid reactant alloy. The alumi Pat. No. 6,355,857) which was a continuation-in-part of U.S. num and chlorine combined to form aluminum chloride. patent application Ser. No. 09/096,617, filed Jun. 12, 1998, Carbon from the original waste compound was liberated entitled “REACTANT METAL ALLOY TREATMENT either in elemental form or as char (CH, CH, or CH). Both PROCESS AND STORAGE PRODUCT FOR RADIOAC the aluminum chloride and liberated elemental carbon Sub TIVE WASTE,” and also U.S. patent application Ser. No. limed to a gaseous State at the 800 degree Celsius reaction 09/274,583, filed Mar. 23, 1999, entitled “HIGH TEM PERATURE MOLTEN METAL REACTOR AND WASTE temperature and were drawn off and Separated. TREATMENT PROCESS” (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,382). 0006. Many hazardous waste sites have different types of The Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. patent application wastes mixed together. The mixed waste may include Ser. Nos. 10/059,808, 09/334,985, 09/096,617 and 09/274, numerous different types of halogenated hydrocarbons, 583 under 35 U.S.C. S 120. The entire content of U.S. Pat. other non-radioactive wastes, and radioactive isotopes. No. 6,355,857 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,382 B1, and U.S. These mixed wastes which include radioactive and non patent application publication No. 2002-0173687 A1 (relat radioactive materials have proven particularly difficult to ing to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/059.808) are treat. Although, many non-radioactive wastes may be treated incorporated herein by this reference. chemically and broken down into benign or leSS hazardous chemicals, radioactive constituents of the mixed waste TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION Stream cannot be manipulated to reduce or eliminate their 0002 This invention relates to liquid metal alloys for use radioactive emissions. It is desirable to Separate the radio in waste treatment processes and to waste Storage products active constituents from the other materials in the mixed produced using liquid metal alloys. More particularly, the waste and place the radioactive constituents in an arrange invention relates to liquid metal alloys for treating waste ment for Safe, long term Storage. Streams that include fast neutron emitting radioactive iso 0007 Storing radioactive waste poses several problems topes. The invention also encompasses a metal alloy Storage in itself. For a radioactive isotope which has a long half life, product for use in Storing radioactive isotopes that emit fast a quantity of the material remains radioactive for many neutronS. years. Thus, a storage arrangement for this long-lived radio BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION active waste must be capable of Securely holding the waste for a very long period of time. However, radioactive emis 0003. Many waste treatment processes utilize thermal Sions, particularly alpha radiation, can interact with the energy to break up waste materials into their constituent material of a container intended to Store radioactive waste. elements or more desirable compounds. The use of thermal This interaction can cause the container to degrade relatively energy to break down materials is referred to generally as quickly, long before the radioactive waste itself has pyrolization. Molten or liquid phase metals have also been degraded. used to react with certain waste materials in order to produce more desirable compounds or reduce the waste to constitu SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ent elements. In particular, liquid aluminum has been used 0008. A storage product according to the invention to react with halogenated hydrocarbons and produce alumi includes at least one chemically active metal for reacting num salts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,661 to Shultz described the with non-radioactive material in a mixed waste Stream being destruction of PCBs and other halogenated hydrocarbons by treated. The Storage product also includes at least one contacting the hydrocarbon vapor with liquid aluminum. transmutation target metal and at least one transmutation The aluminum was contained in low-boiling eutectic mix emission absorbing metal which form a metal alloy with the tures of aluminum and Zinc or aluminum, Zinc, and magne chemically active metal or metals. A fast neutron emitting sium. Shultz also Suggested eutectic reactant mixtures con radioactive isotope from the waste Stream is distributed taining iron, calcium, and other metals. U.S. Pat. No. 5,640, throughout the chemically active and other metals included 702 to Shultz disclosed a liquid metal treatment for wastes in Storage product. With the fast neutron emitting material containing radioactive constituents. This patent to Shultz dispersed and distributed in the chemically active and other disclosed using lead in the liquid reactant metal as a chemi metals, the transmutation target metals are able to absorb a cally active material for reacting with non-radioactive con Significant portion of the emitted fast neutrons, and the Stituents in the waste to be treated. transmutation emission absorbing metals are able to absorb 0004 U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,101 to Wagner disclosed a radioactive emissions resulting from the absorption of the proceSS for treating hazardous waste material with liquid fast neutrons. US 2005/0254988 A1 Nov. 17, 2005 0009. To form the storage product, the chemically active which is capable of capturing a particular expected radio metal, transmutation target metal, and transmutation emis active emission, that is, a particular emission at a natural Sion absorbing metal are held in a liquid State and the waste decay energy level. Stream is added thereto. Non-radioactive constituents in the 0012. As used in this disclosure and the following claims, waste material are broken down into harmless and useful the “type of expected radioactive emission' associated with constituents, leaving the fast neutron emitting isotope in the an isotope in the waste material to be treated refers to the chemically active and other metals. The chemically active particular type of both primary and Secondary emission metal, fast neutron emitting isotope, and other metals may (alpha, beta, gamma, or neutron) characteristic of the isotope then be cooled to form one or more ingots in which the fast and any daughter isotope, and the characteristic energy level neutron emitting isotope is effectively isolated and Sur of each emission.