Analysis of waste management issues arising from a field study evaluating decontamination of a biological agent from a building

Figures & data

Figure 1. INL Building PBF-632 with and without secondary containment enclosure.

Figure 2. Timeline of events within each round.

Figure 3. Waste management concept.

Table 1. “Real (INL)” waste categories.

Category	Name	Description
1S	Uncontaminated solids	Solid materials that have never been contaminated. An example is the PPE packaging waste from the Sampling Prep Trailer.
2S	Contaminated solids	Solid materials that are contaminated and have never been decontaminated. None of this type of waste was generated during the BOTE Project Phase 1.
3S	Decontaminated solids	Solid materials that were once contaminated but have undergone a decontamination process(es). There may be residual contamination, but sampling and analysis would be required to determine whether residual contamination still exists. A decision would still have to be rendered because this material constitutes a waste. The waste would have to be characterized to determine how it will be handled, labeled, transported, treated, and/or disposed of. An example is the material removed prior to the pH-adjusted bleach decontamination that was sprayed with bleach prior to packaging.
4S	Decontamination solid waste	Solid materials that were generated through the decontamination process, as opposed to waste materials that were once contaminated but underwent decontamination. This waste would still require a waste characterization prior to disposal. An example is the used PPE that came from the Decontamination Line, or fans used in the VHP fumigation process.
1L	Uncontaminated liquids	Liquids that have never been contaminated. None of this type of waste was generated during the BOTE Project Phase 1, although some was generated during the dissemination activities of round 1 that involved collecting water during the time frame prior to the building being contaminated.
2L	Contaminated liquids	Liquids that are contaminated and have never been decontaminated. None of this type of waste was generated during the BOTE Project Phase 1.
3L	Decontaminated (treated) liquids	Liquids that were once contaminated but have undergone the treatment processes. Residual contamination may exist, but sampling and analysis would be required to determine whether residual contamination still exists. A decision would still have to be rendered because this material constitutes a waste. The waste would have to be characterized to determine how it will be handled, labeled, transported, treated, and/or disposed of. The waste that fell into category 3L was the liquids generated during the drying operation after the pH-adjusted bleach decontamination.
4L	Decontamination liquid waste	Liquids that were generated through the decontamination process. An example is the recovered rinsate from the Decontamination Line or the spent bleach solution vacuumed from the floor during the pH-adjusted bleach decontamination.

Note: The categories listed in this table are not intended to represent a regulatory waste category. Instead, these categories are intended to represent only a description of various waste streams. These waste streams must still be managed in accordance with the requirements of the state and those waste acceptance criteria of the waste management facility that accepts the waste.

Table 2. BOTE Project waste management measurements and frequency.

Waste stream	Waste category* (see Table 1)	Initial disposition	Measurements	Frequency
PPE and other solid decontamination and sampling residues	2S, 3S, or 4S	Collected in bags at end of decontamination line	Item description Weight	As bags were filled, decontamination line personnel put the bag outside of the decontamination line area
Personnel decontamination rinsate and collected liquid residues from pH-adjusted bleach decontamination	2L, 3L, or 4L	Collected in barrels at end of the decontamination line; soapy water from the decontamination line and bleach from the decontamination line were collected separately; liquid residues from pH-adjusted bleach decontamination were also collected separately	Volume	When barrel was full
Items removed prior to/during pH-adjusted bleach decontamination	3S	Packaged prior to removal (bag, add RFID tag, move to staging area inside building, add bleach, close bag, double bag); place outside of decontamination line area	Item description Item weight Item room	As bags were filled
Sampling waste from donning trailer	1S	Place in plastic bag	Description Weight	As bags were filled

Notes: *These categories are not intended to represent a regulatory waste category. Instead, these categories are intended to represent only a description of various waste streams. These waste streams must still be managed in accordance with the requirements of the state and those waste acceptance criteria of the waste management facility that accepts the waste.

Table 3. Waste data from BOTE Phase 1.

Activity	*Category 1S Uncontaminated solid (lb)	*Category 3S Decontaminated solid (lb)	*Category 4S Decontamination waste solid (lb)	Total solid waste (lb)	*Category 1L Uncontaminated liquid (gal)	*Category 3L Decontaminated liquid (gal)	*Category 4L Decontamination waste liquid (gal)	Total liquid waste (gal)
Breakdown by detailed activity (weights in lb, volumes in gal)
Dissemination	70	0	0	70	66	0	0	66
VHP—CCharacterization sampling	17	0	210	227	0	0	211	211
VHP—Decontamination	7	0	447	455	0	0	55	55
VHP^®—Clearance sampling	20	0	188	208	0	0	74	74
AB—Characterization sampling	21	0	247	268	0	0	177	177
AB—Decontamination—removal	6	10,142	154	10,302	0	0	26	26
AB—Decontamination—spray	4	2,157	178	2,339	0	105	528	633
AB—Decontamination—dry	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
AB—Clearance sampling	16	704	325	1,045	0	0	101	101
AB—Building reset	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
ClO2—Characterization sampling	11	0	101	112	0	0	137	137
ClO2— Decontamination	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
ClO2—Clearance sampling	0	0	315	315	0	0	38	38
Breakdown by round (weights in lb, volumes in gal)
VHP	114	0	846	960	66	0	340	406
AB	46	13,003	905	13,954	0	105	831	936
ClO2	11	315	101	427	0	0	175	175
Total	171	13,318	1,852	15,341	66	105	1,345	1,516
Breakdown by aggregated activity (weights in lb, volumes in gal)
VHP sampling	37	0	398	436	0	0	285	285
VHP decontamination	7	0	447	455	0	0	55	55
AB sampling	37	704	572	1,313	0	0	278	278
AB decontamination	10	12,299	332	12,641	0	105	554	659
ClO2 sampling	11	315	101	427	0	0	175	175
ClO2 decontamination	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other	70	0	0	70	66	0	0	66

Notes: AB = pH-adjusted bleach decontamination process; Other = collected during other activities (e.g., dissemination).

*These categories are not intended to represent a regulatory waste category. Instead, these categories are intended to represent only a description of various waste streams. These waste streams must still be managed in accordance with the requirements of the state and those waste acceptance criteria of the waste management facility that accepts the waste.

Figure 4. Daily solid waste generation.

Figure 5. Distribution of waste by activity (normalized to 100%).

Figure 6. Solid waste by category.

Figure 7. Aqueous waste by category.