Remediation & Transformation of Kaolin by Plasma Magmavication

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Remediation Transformation of Kaolin by Plasma
Magmavication

• Josepha D. Celes
• and
• Paul W. Mayne
• Geosystems Division
• Civil Environmental Engineering
• Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA

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Georgia Tech Plasma Laboratory Setups
Test Chambers
Offgas Scrubber System
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Plasma Destruction of Surrogate Contaminants
Embedded in Kaolin
Surrogates are materials which have similar
physical, chemical, and thermodynamic properties
to the materials they are representing Nuclear
CsCl ZrO2 Chemical malathion 2-chloroethyl
methyl sulfide Biological LE392 E. coli bacteria
and YPH80 S. cerevisiae yeast strain
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Transformation of Contaminated Kaolin by
Nontransferred Arc Plasma

• Georgia Tech Research Institute
• Civil Environmental Engineering - GT
• Geochemistry Earth Sciences - GT
• Clark Atlanta University (Chemistry)
• Sponsored by the Defense Special Weapons Agency

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Summary of Laboratory Series of Plasma
Experiments
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Summary of Post-Melt Chemical Analysis

• Nuclear Surrogate (JDC-2)
• CsCl and ZrO2 were undetected by SEM and XRD
• Chemical Surrogate (JDC-3)
• malathion and 2-chloroethyl methyl sulfide were
  not detected by SEM (expected)
• Biological Surrogate (JDC-4)
• no introduced organisms detected by either SEM
  (expected) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• Mixed Waste w/100-kW Torch (JDC-5)
• SEM did not detect contaminants
• All Series Mullite found through XRD to be main
  crystal minor amounts of iron-alumina species

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Original Transformed Material Properties of
Kaolin
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Petrographic Examinations

• Petrography geologic description and
  classification of rocks
• Thin sections were taken from artificial rocks
  obtained from JDC-1 (control test)
• Rock chip mounted onto microscope slide with
  epoxy resin and ground to a 30-?m thickness (10
  slides)
• Mineral identification was mullite (by x-ray
  diffraction XRD)

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Results of Petrographic StudiesConducted on
Artificial Rocks

• Point Counting (mullite, glass, vugs, pores)
• PETROGRAPHIC SLIDE at 10x Magnification
• A Fine Needle-Like Mullite Crystals
• B Irregularly-Shaped Pores
• C Black Glass (Obsidian)
• Rock type classified as vesicular mullite glass
  slag

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Summary Conclusions
NonTransferred Arc Plasma Remediation

• Results of the SEM and XRD are questionable due
  to detection limit of the instruments
• organic contaminants expected to pyrolize (might
  be detected through off-gas)
• inorganic materials expected to be linked within
  the glass phase (their absence does not mean
  destruction).
• Soil Remediation
• use different detection tools (ICPMS or ion
  microprobe)
• increase the amount of contaminants if XRD SEM
  are used)
• Material properties are dramatically positively
  altered
• Petrographic Studies - Valuable in assessing
  mullite.
• Use of geophysics needed for verification of
  plasma technology in ground modification and soil
  remediation.