Nuclear Waste Management

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Nuclear power is characterised by the very large amount of energy produced from a very small amount of fuel and the amount of waste produced during this process is very small. Much of the waste produced is Radioactive and therefore must be carefully managed as hazardous material. All parts of nuclear fuel cycle produce some radioactive waste and the cost of managing and disposing of this is part of the electricity cost.
Radioactive waste is not unique to the nuclear fuel cycle. Radioactive materials are used extensively in Medicine, Agriculture, Research, Manufacturing, Non - Destructive testing and Mineral Exploration. Unlike the other hazardous industrial materials, level of hazard of all radioactive waste -its Radioactivity - diminishes with time.
Types of Radioactive Waste  -
Radioactive waste includes any material that is either intrinsically radioactive or has been contaminated by radioactivity, and that is deemed to have no further use. Govt. policy dictates whether certain materials such as - used nuclear fuel and plutonium - are categorized as waste. Every radionuclide has a half life- the time taken for half of its atoms to decay, and thus for it to lose half of its radioactivity. Radioactivity with long half - lives tend to be Alpha and Beta emitters- making their handling easier - while those with short half - lives tend to emit more penetrating Gamma Rays. Eventually, all radioactive waste decays into non - radioactive elements. The more isotope is- faster it decays.
Radioactive waste is typically classified as Low- level (LLW), Intermediary Level (ILW) or High Level (HLW) dependent primarily on its level of radioactivity.

LOW LEVEL WASTE  -  Has a radioactive content not exceeding four Giga- becquerels per tonne
(G Bq /T) of Alpha activity or 12 GBq/T Beta- Gamma activity. LLW does not require shielding, during handling and transport and is suitable for disposal near surface facilities. It is generated from industry and hospitals as also from nuclear cycle. It comprises paper, rags, tools, clothing, filters etc. which contain small amounts of mostly short- lived radioactivity. To reduce its volume, LLW is
often compacted or incinerated before disposal. It comprises 90% of volume but 1% of radioactivity of all radioactive waste.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WASTE - is more radioactive than LLW but the heat it generates is not sufficient to be taken into account in design and selection of storage and disposal facilities Due to its higher level of radioactivity, it requires some shielding. ILW comprises resins, chemical sludges and metal fuel cladding as well as contaminated materials from reactor decommissioning. Smaller items and any non-solid may be solidified in concrete or bitumen for disposal. It makes up about 7% of the volume and 4% of radioactive waste.

HIGH LEVEL WASTE - High Level Waste is sufficient radioactive for its decay heat to increase its temperature and the surroundings significantly. As a result, HLW requires cooling and shielding. It arises from 'Burning' of uranium fuel in the reactor. It contains the fission products and transuranic
elements generated in the reactor core. It accounts for just 3% of the volume but 95% of the total radioactivity of produced waste.

 There are two distinct kinds of HLW -
- Used fuel that has been designated as as waste.
- Separated waste from reprocessing of used fuel.

HLW has been short and long - lived components, depending upon length of time. It will take for
the radioactivity of particular radionuclides to decrease to levels which are considered non- hazardous for people and surrounding environment. If generally short lived fission products can be separated from long-lived actinides, this distinction becomes important in management and disposal of HLW. HLW is the focus of significant attention regarding Nuclear power and is managed accordingly. Radioactive waste is produced at all stages of Nuclear Fuel cycle - the process of producing electricity from nuclear materials. The fuel cycle involves mining and milling of Uranium ore, its processing and fabrication into nuclear fuel, use in reactor, its reprocessing (if conducted), treatment of used fuel taken from the reactor, and finally, disposal of waste. The majority of waste comes from actual 'Burning' of Uranium to produce electricity. Where the used fuel is reprocessed,the amount of waste is reduced materially 


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