$sitename

Sumitomo Site, Teterboro, NJ

Point Source Soil Sorting Pilot Study

June 2006 - November 2006

On June 1, 2006 Shonka Research Associates, Inc. (SRA) was contracted by MACTEC Development Corporation (MACTEC) to design and build a complete soil sorting system in Teterboro, New Jersey.  The system was to be deployed to the site by September 1, 2006 where SRA and MACTEC teamed to complete a variety of testing and optimization over the course of 28 days. The testing would evaluate the ability to sort discrete particles (nuggets) of Radium (Ra-226) from soil, as well as identify or evaluate any potential challenges that might impact a full scale remediation effort.   Specifically, the system was to be able to distinguish a 0.1 µCi nugget from 3 pCi/g volumetric contamination and process at least 40 tons of dirt per hour.   SRA was able to deploy the system ahead of schedule, as well as successfully complete the testing in less than the planned 28 days.  

The sorting system, which utilizes SRA’s Scanning Spectrometer (SS-Series) technology, demonstrated the ability to sort 0.1 µCi nuggets from soil at close to 80 tons per hour (twice the targeted production speed).   The system was able to process and sort both wet and dry material without complications or significant changes in setup.   The system was calibrated to NIST traceable Ra-226 point sources and showed good agreement to the lab results for the nuggets that were screened from the system.   If deployed for use at the site, the system would offer waste reduction as great as 1000 to 1 which will significantly reduce the cost of site remediation and license termination.   Although a number of potential improvements were identified throughout the testing, the current system could successfully be deployed for full scale production.