Radioactive waste characterization

Radioactive waste is characterized by volume and activity, defined as the number of disintegrations per second, known as becquerels. Each radionucHde has a unique half-life,, and corresponding decay constant, A = 0.693/tj 2 For a component radionucHde consisting of JS1 atoms, the activity, M, is defined as... 

Francis AJ, Iden CR, Nine BJ, et al. 1980. Characterization of organics in leachates from low-level radioactive waste disposal sites. Nuclear Technol 50 158-163. 

The beneficial use of radiation is one of the best examples of how careful characterization of the hazard is essential for its safe use. A radioactive substance can be safely stored or transported if appropriately contained. Depending on the characteristics of the radioactive material, it can be safely handled by using appropriate shielding and safety precautions. Laboratory workers usually wear special badges that quantify radiation exposure to ensure that predetermined levels of exposure, which are considered safe, are not exceeded. Unfortunately, after more than 50 years, society has not yet been able to design and implement a safe way to dispose of radioactive waste. The hazardous properties of radiation are explored further in a subsequent chapter. 

Dmitriev, S. A., Stefanovsky, S. V., Knyazev, I. A. Lifanov, F. A. 1995. Characterization of slag product from plasma furnace for unsorted solid radioactive waste treatment. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 353, 1323-1332. 

Caron, F., Elchuk, S. Walker, Z. H. 1996. HPLC characterization of dissolved organic matter from low-level radioactive waste leachates. Journal of Chromatography, 739, 281-294. 

Review work for future updates of our data base should focus on iron compounds and complexes. The iron system is thought to be of crucial importance for characterizing the redox behaviour of radioactive waste repositories. Preliminary applications have indicated that the lack of data for the iron system is a source of major uncertainties associated with the definition of an oxidation potential. Hence, there is little use in developing sophisticated redox models for radionuclides as long as the dominant redox processes in a repository are poorly known. 

The characterization of radioactive waste is especially required with respect to the long-lived transuranium elements 237Np (tu = 2.14 x 106a) 239Pu (tu = 2.41 x 104a), 240Pu (tu = 6.5 x... 

Horwitz, E. P, Dietz, M. L., and Chiarizia, R., The application of novel extraction chromatographic materials to the characterization of radioactive waste solutions, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., Articles, 161, 575-583, 1992. 

Characterization of Borosilicate Glass-Containing Savannah River Plant Radioactive Waste... 

Bibler, N. E. Smith, P. Kent, "Characterization of Boro-silicate Glass Containing Savannah River Plant Radioactive Waste." To be published in Proceedings of the Materials Characterization Conference, August 16-18, 1982, Alfred, NY. 

Similar situation characterizes MVs of the Murmansk Shipping Company (MSC). To date the MSC has 5 MVs used in SNF-reloading operations and storage of Solid and Liquid Radioactive Waste (SRW and LRW). 

US Department of Energy (DOE) (1988) Site Characterization Plan, Yucca Mountain Site, Nevada Research and Development Area, Nevada. US Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. 

Ward D., Bryan C., and Siegel M. D. (1994) Detailed characterization and preliminary adsorption model for materials for an intermediate-scale reactive transport experiment. In Proceedings of 1994 International Conference of High Level Radioactive Waste Management, pp. 2048-2062. 

Among the disadvantages, the fouling and degradation of membrane surfaces of the polymeric membrane systems under adverse chemical and thermal conditions are often cited. However, these problems may be partly overcome by proper pretreatment of the effluents, optimizing the process variables and selecting suitable membrane materials. The radioactive wastes most suited for membrane separation are characterized by chemically insignificant amounts of radionuclides and small amounts (few hundred parts per rnilhon) of inactive ionic species. 

Renner, J. T. Hettkaamp, and F. Rutnmel (2000) Rock Mechanical Characterization of an Argilaceous Host rock of a Potential Radioactive Waste Repository. Rock Mech. Rock Engng, 33 (3), 153-178. 

Solid radioactive wastes are collected in each laboratory for transfer to the waste disposal building. Sludge from the holding tanks is dried and also transferred to the waste disposal building. The chemical and radiological contents of the wastes are characterized to provide information for the disposal and shipment records. 

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