"Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material."
The disposal and treatment of radioactive waste generated by nuclear reactors, medical facilities, and other sources.
Nuclear chemistry basics: This includes the basics of nuclear reactions, isotopes, and nuclear decay.
Radiation and its impact on human health: This topic covers the various types of radiation, and their effects on living organisms, as well as the radiation protection measures.
Nuclear fuel cycle: This involves the entire process of nuclear fuel production, including mining, milling, refining, and enrichment of uranium, and the disposal of nuclear waste.
Nuclear reactor design: This includes the design, operation, and safety aspects of nuclear reactors, as well as the generation of nuclear waste.
Nuclear waste classification: This involves the classification of nuclear waste based on its radioactive content and hazards.
Treatment and disposal of nuclear waste: This covers the various techniques and methods used for the treatment, storage, and disposal of nuclear waste.
Nuclear waste transportation: This topic covers the safe transportation of nuclear waste from the storage facilities to the treatment or disposal sites.
Nuclear waste legislation and regulations: This includes the legal frameworks and regulations governing the management of nuclear waste.
Environmental impact of nuclear waste: This topic covers the potential environmental impacts of nuclear waste, such as groundwater contamination, and how to prevent such impacts.
Public perception of nuclear waste: This involves the public's attitudes and concerns towards nuclear waste management, and how to communicate the risks and benefits of nuclear power and waste management to the public.
Low-level radioactive waste: This is the most common form of nuclear waste and includes contaminated clothing, tools, and gloves. Low-level wastes are typically stored in barrels and buried in landfills that are designed to prevent leaching.
Intermediate-level radioactive waste: This type of waste includes materials that are more radioactive than low-level waste, but not as dangerous as high-level waste. Examples of intermediate-level waste include spent nuclear fuel rods, radioactive liquids, and cleaning materials used to decontaminate nuclear facilities.
High-level radioactive waste: This is the most dangerous form of nuclear waste and includes spent fuel from nuclear reactors and other highly radioactive materials. High-level waste is typically stored in steel and concrete containers and kept in cooling pools or dry cask storage facilities.
Transuranic waste: This type of waste contains elements that are heavier than uranium and have a half-life of more than 20 years. Transuranic waste is often generated during the reprocessing of spent fuel and includes contaminated tools, equipment, and radioactive sludge.
Spent nuclear fuel: This type of waste is generated during the operation of nuclear reactors and is typically stored onsite in cooling pools or dry casks. Spent fuel is highly radioactive and will remain so for thousands of years.
Medical and research waste: This type of waste includes materials that have been contaminated with radioactive isotopes used for medical treatments and research projects. Examples of medical and research waste include syringes, vials, and laboratory equipment.
Depleted uranium: This is a byproduct of the enrichment process used to create nuclear fuel for reactors. Depleted uranium is less radioactive than other types of nuclear waste but is still hazardous to human health and the environment.
Thorium waste: Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that is used in nuclear reactors. Waste from thorium-based reactors can include contaminated materials such as gloves and tools, as well as spent fuel.
Plutonium waste: Plutonium is a man-made radioactive element that is often found in spent nuclear fuel. The waste from plutonium-based reactors is highly radioactive and can remain dangerous for millions of years.
Decommissioning waste: This type of waste includes materials generated during the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Examples of decommissioning waste include contaminated soil, building material, and equipment.
"Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons reprocessing."
"Radioactive waste is broadly classified into low-level waste (LLW), intermediate-level waste (ILW), and high-level waste (HLW)."
"Low-level waste (LLW) includes items such as paper, rags, tools, and clothing, which contain small amounts of mostly short-lived radioactivity."
"Intermediate-level waste (ILW) contains higher amounts of radioactivity and requires some shielding."
"High-level waste (HLW) is highly radioactive and hot due to decay heat, so requires cooling and shielding."
"In nuclear reprocessing plants, about 96% of spent nuclear fuel is recycled back into uranium-based and mixed-oxide (MOX) fuels."
"The residual 4% is minor actinides and fission products..."
"...fission products are a mixture of stable and quickly decaying (most likely already having decayed in the spent fuel pool) elements, medium lived fission products such as strontium-90 and caesium-137, and finally seven long-lived fission products with half-lives in the hundreds of thousands to millions of years."
"The minor actinides... are heavy elements other than uranium and plutonium which are created by neutron capture. Their half-lives range from years to millions of years and as alpha emitters they are particularly radiotoxic."
"The waste is subsequently converted into a glass-like ceramic for storage in a deep geological repository."
"Short-term approaches to radioactive waste storage have been segregation and storage on the surface or near-surface."
"Burial in a deep geological repository is a favored solution for long-term storage of high-level waste."
"Re-use and transmutation are favored solutions for reducing the HLW inventory."
"Boundaries to recycling of spent nuclear fuel are regulatory and economic."
"Furthermore, elements may be present in both useful and troublesome isotopes, which would require costly and energy-intensive isotope separation for their use - a currently uneconomic prospect."
"A summary of the amounts of radioactive waste and management approaches for most developed countries are presented and reviewed periodically as part of a joint convention of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."
"The storage and disposal of radioactive waste is regulated by government agencies..."
"...in order to protect human health and the environment."
"Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material."