Independent conference paper. Presented at the 1988 Waste Management Symposium. The summary below is provided for reference and search; the full proceedings paper (linked) is the authoritative source.
01 Overview
02 Why this study matters
- Burial-volume reduction: where a gypsum-cement medium (Envirostone) increased volume by more than 100% — about 25 gallons of waste in a 55-gallon drum — AQUASET®/PETROSET® carried 41–48 gallons, cutting burial volume roughly in half.
- A stable, free-standing waste form: wastes are fixed in a non-pourable, flexible matrix that will not undergo brittle fragmentation under accidental spill conditions, meeting the NRC Branch Technical Position for Class A stable waste.
- Accepted at disposal sites: the resulting waste form was acceptable for burial at the Hanford (WA), Richland (WA), and Beatty (NV) sites.
03 Packaging efficiency by waste type
Table I of the paper summarizes typical waste-to-agent combinations and the waste volume carried per 55-gallon drum:
| Waste type | Waste volume / 55-gal drum | Fluid Tech agent |
|---|---|---|
| Aqueous, low ionic concentration | 45–48 gal | AQUASET® |
| Aqueous, medium ionic concentration | 43–47 gal | PETROSET® |
| Glycols, ketones, water-miscible organics | 42–46 gal | AQUASET II™ |
| Pure oils, solvents, chlorinated hydrocarbons | 40–47 gal | PETROSET II™ |
| Acids & bases, neutralized (pH 5–10) | 42–47 gal | PETROSET® + AQUASET II™ |
| Waste lubricating oil & water | 41–48 gal | PETROSET® + PETROSET II™ |
| Ion-exchange resins | 41–45 gal | AQUASET II™ + PETROSET® |
Solidified ion-exchange resins carried a minimal volume increase of 15–20%, offering a cost-effective alternative to dewatering and burial in high-integrity containers.
04 Leachability & radiation testing
Leach testing followed ANSI/ANS 16.1 — a 90-day test that standardizes external factors (temperature, pressure) for consistent, repeatable results. Samples of AQUASET®, AQUASET II™, PETROSET® and PETROSET II™ were tested using Cobalt-60, Cesium-137 and Strontium-85 tracers.
| Isotope | Leachability Index (LI)* |
|---|---|
| Cobalt-60 | 9.4 (highest — lowest leach rate) |
| Cesium-137 | 8.8 |
| Strontium-85 | 8.3 |
* A higher Leachability Index reflects a lower leach rate; each whole number is one order of magnitude. PETROSET II™ showed the slowest overall leach rate of the three isotopes.
In radiation testing, samples accumulated a dose in excess of 10 million rads with no breakdown of the waste form.