IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kurion, Inc., an innovator in nuclear and hazardous waste management, announced that it was awarded a contract by Environmental Properties Management, LLC to design a water treatment system for the decommissioning of the Cimarron fuel fabrication facility located near Guthrie, Oklahoma. Environmental Properties Management is the Trustee for the Cimarron Environmental Response Trust, which owns the site. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are the beneficiaries of the Trust and jointly regulate the cleanup of the site.
As lead contractor for the water treatment system, Kurion will manage all aspects of design, construction, testing and documentation. The Cimarron project consists of the construction and implementation of multiple modular systems to remove radioactive nuclides and nitrates, treating groundwater from the former fuel facility.
Bill Gallo, Kurion CEO, commented on the news, “Kurion’s modular, skid-based systems dramatically change the cost structure and treatment schedule for nuclear waste remediation. This approach has proven to be effective at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in a radioactive environment – this experience gives us a technological edge over the largest players in nuclear waste management.”
Kurion’s involvement in the Cimarron project is a logical application for the systems Kurion has successfully deployed at the Fukushima site. Kurion built two mobile systems for Fukushima that employ the company’s Ion Specific Media to remove radioactive strontium from water stored in on-site tanks. These skid-based systems have removed more than 99.9% of the strontium from the processed water, surpassing decontamination targets. Kurion intends to take the same flexible, modular approach at the Cimarron site.
The benefits of a modular system are numerous: the fabrication and testing of the system will take place in existing facilities, which reduces the time and cost of construction, and testing can be performed prior to delivery to confirm the system’s readiness. While not a factor at the Cimarron site, there are additional safety benefits for projects where hazardous conditions exist above-ground. For such sites, off-site construction shortens the amount of time personnel are required to spend in hazardous environments, and modular features allow operators to quickly and efficiently change out portions of the system to alter the process functions or replace failed components.
“This groundwater treatment project is a natural application for the systems Kurion has successfully deployed at Fukushima,” Gallo added. “Furthermore, it represents an entirely new market segment for the company and creates a new opportunity to accelerate Kurion’s growth. For example, today the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is responsible for overseeing the decommissioning of 101 sites, including Cimarron.”
The water contaminant removal system will be integrated with hydrogeological design services provided by Burns and McDonnell and will remove enriched uranium and nitrates from groundwater as a part of final decontamination, decommissioning and remediation of the former Kerr-McGee nuclear fuel facility.
The Cimarron site covers approximately 700 acres, which is divided into several subareas for evaluation and treatment. Contamination is present in shallow groundwater in several portions of the site, totaling approximately 200 acres. To remove the contaminants, multiple extraction wells will pump groundwater from shallow soil and bedrock. The water will then be piped to one of two separate water treatment systems. One treatment system will remove uranium and will treat water at a flow rate ranging from 100-150 gallons per minute, and a second system will treat water for the removal of uranium and nitrates at a rate of 400-500 gallons per minute. Uranium will be removed through ion exchange using Kurion’s skid-mounted systems. Nitrates will be removed through a proprietary bio-remediation process.
Kurion is performing treatability tests for this project to determine the best ion exchange material for the removal of uranium and nitrates. Upon successful completion of these tests and the necessary regulatory reviews and approvals, Kurion anticipates it will begin final design and fabrication. Kurion may also participate in the operation of the systems. It estimates a 10-year operating schedule once the system is in place at the Cimarron site.
ABOUT KURION
Kurion creates technology solutions to access, separate and stabilize nuclear and hazardous waste to isolate it from the environment. Kurion’s suite of technologies and engineering capabilities offer a platform to address the most-challenging waste sites worldwide. Founded in 2008, Kurion is backed by leading energy investors Lux Capital, Firelake Capital Management and Acadia Woods Partners. The company is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has facilities in Richland, Wash.; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Houston, Texas; Westminster, Colo.; Warrington, UK; and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit www.kurion.com.
