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Long-term waste management studies reported on are sludge washing/drying and effect of sludge composition on the leachability of glass waste forms. Tests with simulated wastes show that elimination of the drying step in the reference process for solidification of defense waste may be feasible. Elimination of the drying step is desirable to simplify the process and avoid the development of specialized rotating mechanical equipment. Soxhlet leach tests showed that glass samples containing U sub 3 O sub 8 , NiO, MnO sub 2 , or CaO (principal components of SRP sludge) had leachabilities up to five times that of glass without these additives. Eliminating TiO sub 2 from the glass increased the leachability by a factor of three. Two compositions of borosilicate glass were compatible with all major constituents of SRP sludge. Interim waste management studies reported on are characterization of burial ground soils, distribution and leaching of plutonium in alpha waste trench soil, and decontamination of equipment by electropolishing. To postulate the movement of alpha-emitting radionuclides from buried solid waste to the environment, the measured distribution coefficient (K/sub d/) for plutonium in 39 typical burial ground soils averaged 1500, with a range of 500 to 4000. Strontium K/sub d/ for 56 burial ground soil specimens ranged between 9 and 6000, with an average of 400 and a median of 110. Leach testing of six cores of burial ground soil indicate (1) the plutonium is not cation-exchanged and may be in the form of a nonpolymeric hydroxide, and (2) about 76% of the plutonium is associated with the clay fraction. Tests at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory have shown electropolishing to be an effective technique for metal decontamination. Preliminary laboratory experiments at SRL have confirmed that electropolishing will decontaminate stainless steel surfaces. A pilot electrodecontamination facility is being installed at SRL. (ERA citation 04:015344)