CX-017883: Sodium/Carbon Dioxide Interaction Experiment Product Handling

During a sodium-carbon dioxide reaction experiment in the Supercritical sodium-carbon dioxide Kinetics Experiment apparatus, at least 4.5 kilograms solid reaction products (sodium carbonate, sodium oxide, carbon, possibly sodium bicarbonate, possible traces of carbon monoxide, possible traces of sodium oxalate, along with small quantities of unreacted sodium) are formed as a result of the reaction between approximately 100 grams of carbon dioxide and approximately 5,000 grams of sodium, and collect in the test vessel. In order to run the next experiment the solid reaction products must be removed from the test vessel and characterized, and the test vessel must be cleaned. This evaluation covers the potential environmental impact of handling the solid reaction products, preparing them for chemical evaluation, and disposing of them once evaluation has been completed.