With the necessary regulatory permit now in place, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site is moving forward with an improvement that will reduce costs, enable continued tank retrievals and expedite the Hanford tank waste mission. The site has completed the first transfer of material known as EMF concentrate to a local offsite facility for grouting, marking the beginning of a new more efficient approach.
Office of Environmental Management
July 13, 2026
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RICHLAND, Wash. – With the necessary regulatory permit now in place, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site is moving forward with an improvement that will reduce costs, enable continued tank retrievals and expedite the Hanford tank waste mission. The site has completed the first transfer of material known as EMF concentrate to a local offsite facility for grouting, marking the beginning of a new more efficient approach.
EMF concentrate is a secondary liquid byproduct created during the vitrification process at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP).
“This new strategy reflects our commitment to expediting the Hanford cleanup mission in an innovative, efficient and safe manner,” said Ray Geimer, Hanford Field Office Manager for DOE. “By removing the need to reprocess EMF concentrate back through WTP, we can maximize Plant efficiency and treat up to 20 percent more tank waste.”
For every gallon of Hanford tank waste solidified in glass, between one and three gallons of less hazardous secondary material are created as a byproduct of the glass-making process known as vitrification. Previously, a portion of this material was also destined for vitrification. Under the new approach, the EMF concentrate is transported to a local offsite facility where it will be grouted and then shipped out of Washington state for commercial disposal.
The successful use of grouting for EMF concentrate marks an important step in the tank waste mission for Hanford -- proving that grout can safely and effectively support waste treatment operations while helping manage byproducts more efficiently. This progress also helps lay the foundation for a broader science-backed dual glass-plus-grout strategy, in which grout works alongside glass operations as a proven and practical tool for accelerating cleanup and delivering better value to taxpayers.
“This isn’t an either-or-situation,” said Geimer. “The people of Washington deserve an all-of-the above approach that includes grout solutions that have been safely and successfully used for decades across DOE and around the globe.”
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