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The Market for Waste Vitrification Technology
Author(s) -
Sigmon Brent,
Skorka Maria B.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
remediation journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6831
pISSN - 1051-5658
DOI - 10.1002/rem.3440080406
Subject(s) - vitrification , business , waste management , unit (ring theory) , commerce , environmental economics , engineering , economics , medicine , mathematics education , mathematics , andrology
Waste vitrification technology has largely been developed by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Numerous vendors offer vitrification units, and a number of commercial and large pilot applications have been made. Nevertheless, the industry is still in its infancy and does not dominate any waste treatment niche. DOE funding of vitrification technology development is nearing an end, and DOE waste treatment is being privatized, with private bidders selecting the technologies and offering to treat wastes for a per‐unit fee. Thus, the DOE market is shifting from a cost‐plus, largely R&D environment to a fixed‐fee environment in which vendors and waste treatment contractors must accept technological risks. Significant quantities of DOE waste are still uncommitted, but the number of vendors is larger than the market can possibly sustain. Domestic private sector opportunities are limited and vendors are looking to foreign markets with less mature treatment capacity and growing demand.