Organic Analysis at the Hanford Nuclear Site

Of all the nuclear weapons production facilities in the United States, the Hanford site currently accounts for the largest volume percentage of defense-related high-level waste (HLW). After approximately 40 years of nuclear weapons production, Hanford must now deal with the legacy of nearly 1100 waste sites, including liquid-release areas (e.g., trenches and cribs), burial grounds, and liquid and solidified wastes in tanks. In this report, we present a brief history of the chemical processes at the Hanford site; describe the storage of wastes in underground tanks; and review problems associated with sampling, sample preparation, and analysis of organic constituents in tank waste. 28 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.