Tests were conducted on a laboratory and semi-plant scale to determine the effect of permitting scrap grossly contaminated with uranium to be used in steel manufacture. It was found the most of the uranium is removed with the slag. Steel made with this scrap would have a uranium constituent so little above that made with uncontaminated scrap as to be hardly significant. The slag itself would not present any hazard in handling or normal use. It is recommended, therefore, that in the future steel with only surface uranium contamination be released through normal scrap channels.

Slag and crucible can be dissolved satisfactorily by the Los Alamos method of total dissolution with nitric acid in the presence of aluminum nitrate. Extraction of 99% of the plutonium from total dissolution salted with aluminum nitrate was achieved by three successive contactings with 1/10 volumes of 30% TBp- AMSCO 125-90W. The TBPAMSCO phases contacted with leaching solutions salted with calcium nitrate must be scrubbed to remove calcium. Stripping with three 1/10 volumes of 0.1M hydroxylamine sulfate removes 99% of the plutonium from the 30% TBPAMSCO, initially O.lM HNO/sub 3/. Plutonium(III) oxalate, (which could be blended into 234-5 operations) can be precipitated from the aqueous strip solution. It is chemically feasible to recycle slag and crucible solution to the Redox IIA column in amounts up to at least lO% of IIAF by volume. It is also chemically feasible to recycle nitric acid solution of slag crucible obtained in the presence of aluminum nitrate to the Product Precipitation step of the Second Decontamination Cycle of the Bismuth Phosphate Process. (auth)

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