RICHLAND, Wash. – Construction is complete at the EM Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant’s Analytical Laboratory, and work is now focused on installing scientific instruments and preparing the lab for commissioning. The instruments being set up will allow chemists to conduct a variety of chemical and radiological tests and analyses to confirm that glass produced by the Low-Activity Waste vitrification facility meets regulatory requirements and standards. Both facilities are integral to EM’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) program to begin tank waste treatment by the end of 2023. During DFLAW operations, chemists will analyze approximately 3,000 process samples annually. Installation of the instruments will continue throughout the fall. From left, Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant laborers Chris Starkel, Noel Macias, and Fernando Rosales install a gamma-ray detector shield inside the laboratory.