Lifecycle of Dismantled Materials

The Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) has been aggressively working to support the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) commitment to reduce the overall size of the United States nuclear weapon stockpile and meet international nonproliferation objectives. A vital component of this is the Y-12 Dismantlement and Disposition Program which receives, dismantles, and dispositions retired weapon components from the stockpile. At Y-12, dismantlement incorporates a wide range of recycle, reuse, and/or disposition processes for nuclear and non-nuclear materials. Normally, when a weapon is retired by the military, it is returned to the Pantex Plant for dismantlement. During this phase the primary, secondary, and other miscellaneous parts are removed from the nuclear assembly. The secondary is shipped back to Y-12 for dispositioning. From the receipt of the shipment, an effort to reuse or recycle begins with refurbishing the containers used to ship units from Pantex. Those containers are shipped back to Pantex for use in future shipments. As the units are disassembled and components are extracted, some types of materials can be sent to interim storage until they can be recycled. Some materials may be reused for refurbishing the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile, fueling the nation’s fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers, or down- blending to a less concentrated form suitable for use in domestic or foreign commercial nuclear reactors. Other materials are recycled, where appropriate. Materials that are not suitable for reuse or recycle are generally dispositioned in one of three ways: first, classified, contaminated, and non-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) materials are normally shipped to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS); second, classified, uncontaminated materials not regulated by RCRA are placed in the Y-12 Burial Ground; and third, components containing RCRA-regulated material are treated by off-site vendors. Y-12 plays a major role in safely dismantling nuclear weapon components and preventing the possible mishandling of nuclear materials while continuing to search and develop new methods for safely reusing and recycling dismantled materials.