ENV-95-155 TREATING THE MIXTURE OF NORM CONTAMINATED AND RCRA LISTED REFINERY WASTE STREAMS

Description:

The processing of crudes from the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast has resulted in the potential generation of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) contaminated sludges from refinery tank bottoms, distillation units, and cleaning operations. The final deposition of these NORM/RCRA sludges presents a problem to the refining industry since the typical RCRA facility cannot accept NORM material, and the typical NORM facility is not permitted to handle RCRA hazardous waste. Thus, refinery NORM/RCRA waste must be treated to render it either non-hazardous or non-RCRA (or both) to enable disposal. These NORM/RCRA waste mixtures are regulated by two separate state regulatory sections, Radioactive Materials and Hazardous Waste. Consequently, handling options must comply with both sets of regulations, a situation which can create duplicity, conflict, and confusion. In the event that disposal options are available, costs are prohibitive and liability for the generator is exacerbated by the 1,600 year half-life of the principal radioactive component involved, radium-226.