Other Radioactive Wastes

Disposal of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive wastes in the subsurface and assessment of the hazards associated with the potential release of these contaminants into the environment require knowledge of radionuclide geochemistry. Plutonium (Pu), for example, exhibits complex environmental chemistry understanding the mechanism of Pu oxidation and subsequent reduction, particularly by Mn-bearing minerals, is of major importance for predicting the fate of Pu in the subsurface. 

KOCHER, D.C. and CROFF, A.G. (1987). A Proposed Classification System for High-Level and Other Radioactive Wastes, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report ORNL/TM-10289 (National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia). 

FIGURE 6.1 Schematic of the nuclear fuel cycle from the uranium deposits to the repository of uranium and other radioactive waste products. (From Informationskreis KernEnergie, Berlin, Germany http //www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/images/nuc fuel.gif, accessed August 5, 2014. With permission.)... 

Furthermore, there has been no designated disposal site for the burial of high activity radioactive wastes. For those areas, cleanup would be unlikely without such a designated disposal site. Remediation of inadequate RWBS, as well as their use for collection areas for other radioactive waste, has led to problems with defueling the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. No plans have been established to bring the RWBS to environmentally sound conditions, in lieu of radioactive protection norms and governmental coordination. At present no migration of radionuclides from these RWBS has been detected. 

Chemical waste collected from the laboratory and other relatively small volume sources. This could be a mixture of hazardous and radioactive wastes, or other radioactive wastes with high dissolved solids content. 

The incineration facilities for processing nuclear power plant wastes should be designed to meet the operational objectives identified in Ref. [4]. The design of facilities for processing other radioactive wastes may assume that the operational objectives identified in Ref. [4] are still valid. 

Radiation Monitoring Building will be used to monitor the activity of the decontamination wastes. Other radioactive wastes are routed to 1301a crib and sanitary wastes are vented to the tile field east of the 1310 N facility. 

The problem of nuclear waste management at the end of NPPU life cycle is particularly difficult for any country. These difficulties were aggravated by the deslntegratlon of the USSR Into Independent states. Thus, It took about two years to remove nuclear fuel from Armenian Republic, but the removal of other radioactive waste from independent Armenia seems to create an Insurmountable problem. 

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