The Intermediate Level Liquid Molybdenum-99 Waste Treatment Process at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

Abstract ANSTO manufactures 99 Mo for radiopharmaceutical use. Alkaline Intermediate Level Liquid Waste (ILLW) from this process, plus legacy acidic waste, are planned to be treated by converting both wastes into stable, solid, waste forms with oxide-basis loadings of 25-35 wt% and 30-50 wt%, respectively. The hot-cell plant design utilises the same unit process steps to treat both wastes. Hot-Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is employed to consolidate the processed waste and achieve substantial waste volume reductions compared to a cementation option. In this paper an overview of the treatment process and selected waste forms for ANSTO's 99 Mo production ILLW is given.