Liquefaction of Latex Glove Waste for Volume Reduction

The accumulation of dry active wastes such as latex gloves in nuclear facilities has become a serious issue because of the high cost and limited storage area for their management. In this study, the liquefaction of latex gloves, which mainly comprise rubber and CaCO₃, was investigated as a waste reduction technique. When liquefaction occurred at > 270 °C, the latex gloves decomposed into gaseous, liquid, and solid products. Cs-, Sr-, and Co-contaminated latex gloves were liquefied at 350 °C, and the solid product was subsequently recovered via distillation. Notably, the contaminants only remained in the solid product (~33.3 wt%) comprising CaCO₃ and char; thus, the gaseous and liquid products could be regarded as non-radioactive, thereby reducing the volume of radioactive waste (~ 92.7% reduction after compression). Liquefaction is favorable compared to conventional incineration because it generates less harmful gases by converting the organic components to condensed phases.