WASTE

• The radioactive waste needs to be managed safely to ensure

protection of man and environment, without imposing significant
burden on future generations.
• If not handled carefully, ionizing radiations emitted by the radioactive
waste can cause somatic and genetic effects in the living beings.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
• The basic objective of radioactive waste management is:
• i. Protection of human health,
• ii. Protection of environment, and
• iii. Protection of future generation.
• To achieve this the methods adopted in the practice includes:
• i. Minimize the generation of radioactive waste,
• ii. Recycling and reuse the waste material, and
• iii. Minimize the exposure to operation staff and public.
• The basic approaches used in the management of radioactive wastes
are:
• i. Delay and decay
• ii. Dilute and disperse
• iii. Concentrate and contain.
Delay and Decay
• It is based on the fact that radionuclides lose their radioactivity through
decay, and this fact may be utilized in the treatment not only of
intermediate and high level solid, liquid and gaseous wastes but in
some cases also in that of low—level wastes.
• The aim is to ease problems in subsequent handling or to lessen risks of
releases to the environment, taking advantage of the decay of some
radionuclides — particularly those having short half lives — with the
passage of time.
• The principle is especially useful for those installations where a
substantial reduction in the activity level of a waste stream can be
achieved by delaying discharge of effluents for a few days.
Dilute and Disperse
• The principle of dilution and dispersion is based on the assumption
that the environment has a finite capacity for dilution of radionuclides
to an innocuous level.
• The application of this principle requires an understanding of the
behaviour of radioactive materials in the environment and of the
ways in which the released radionuclides, particularly those that are
considered to be critical, may lead later to the exposure of man.
• It is especially important to take into consideration environmental
processes which may cause reconcentration of radionuclides.
Concentrate and Contain
• The principle of concentration and containment derives from the concept that
the majority of the radioactivity generated in nuclear programs must be kept in
isolation from the human environment. Since some radionuclides take a long
time to decay to innocuous level, some wastes must be contained for extended
period of time.
• The principle is invoked in techniques for air and gas cleaning; the treatment of
liquid wastes by scavenging and precipitation; ion exchange and evaporation; the
treatment of low-level, solid wastes by incineration, baling and packaging the
treatment of intermediate—level solid and liquid wastes by in-solubilization in
asphalt; conversion of high-level liquid wastes to insoluble solids by high-
temperature calcinations or incorporation in glass; tank storage of intermediate
— and high-level liquid wastes; storage of solid wastes in vaults or caverns; and
disposal of solid and liquid wastes in deep geological formations.