The Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU), a first-of-a-kind, 53,000-square-foot facility, will treat 900,000 gallons of liquid radioactive and hazardous waste that has been stored in underground storage tanks. The waste that will be treated – called sodium-bearing waste – was generated from operations at Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). The liquid is stored in three stainless steel 300,000-gallon storage tanks that are part of a tank farm of 15 tanks. IWTU, located east of INTEC, will use a steam-reforming technology to convert the liquid to a solid, granular material; packaging it in stainless steel canisters; and storing the containers in concrete vaults at the site.
