1. NUCLEAR WASTE
MANAGEMENT
BY
MAHESH SHERKHANE
AMIT MATALE
GUIDE
Dr. R K TIWARI

2. CONTENTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
INTRODUCTION
BASIC CONCEPTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
SOURCES OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE
CLASSIFICATION OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE
NUCLEAR WASTE
HALF LIFE TIME FOR NUCLEAR WASTE
MATHEMATICAL MODELLING IN RADIOACTIVE WASTE LEACHING
STUDIES
PROBLEMS OF WASTE GENERATION
WASTE DISPOSAL MANAGEMENT AND REGULATION
OPTIONS BEING CONSIDERD FOR NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT
RECOMMANDATION FOR SOLVING NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT
PROPOSED MODEL FOR NUCLEAR WASTE CONTAINER
CONCLUSION
N.W.M.

3. RADIOACTIVITY
• PROCESS BY WHICH AN UNSTABLE ATOMIC
NUCLEUS LOSSES ENERGY BY EMITTING IONIZING
PARTICLES OR ELECTROMAGNETIC RAYS DURING
PROCESS
• THE
DIFFERENT
KINDS
OF
RADIATION
ASSOCIATED WITH RADIOACTIVITY ARE
1. ALPHA RADIATION
2. BETA RADIATION
3. GAMA RADIATION
N.W.M.

4. ALPHA RADIATION
• ALPHA RADIATION:1. CONSISTS OF PERTICLES (NUCLEI OF HELIUM
ATOMS) CARRYING POSITIVE CHARGE
2. SOURCE:- AMERICIUM METAL GIVES OF THESE
RADIATION SO, CALLED ALPHA RADIATION
N.W.M.

5. BETA RADIATION
• BETA RADIATION:1. CONSISTS OF PARTICLES(STREAM OF
ELECTRONS) CARRYING NEGATIVE CHARGE
2. SOURCE:– STRONTIUM-90 SOFT HIGHLY
REACTIVE METAL GIVES BETA RADIATION
3. TYPES:–
a) BETA PLUS
b) BETA MINUS
N.W.M.

6. BETA MINUS DECAY
BETA PLUS DECAY
N.W.M.

7. GAMMA RADIATION
• GAMMA RADIATION:1. CHARGELESS ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
WITH SHORTER WAVELENGH THAN
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
2. SOURCE:- GAMMA RADIATION IS OFTEN EMITTED
WITH ALPHA AND BETA RADIATION
N.W.M

8. MEASURMENTS UNITS
• RADIOACTIVE SURFACE CONTAMINATION IS
USUALLY EXPRESSED IN UNITS OF RADIOACTIVE
PER UNIT AREA
• SI UNIT:– BECQURRELS /m 2
• OTHER UNIT:– PICOCURRIES / 100cm2
N.W.M

9. RADIOACTIVE WASTE
• USUALLY PRODUCT OF NUCLEAR PROCESS SUCH
AS NUCLEAR FISSION
• INDUSTRIES NOT DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO
NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY MAY ALSO PRODUCE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
N.W.M

10. CLASSIFICATION OF RADIOACTIVE
WASTE
• LOW LEVEL:- (HALF LIFE TIME< 30 YEARS)
• CONSIST OF
a. TRANSURANIC WASTE
• HIGH LEVEL:- (HALF LIFE TIME>30 YEARS)
• CONSIST OF
a. SPENT FUEL
b. THE LIQUID EFFLUENTS
c. THE SOLIDS
N.W.M

11. SOURCES OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE
• TYPES: a.NATURAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE
b. ARTIFICIAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE
• MAJORITY OF WASTES ORIGINATE FROM
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND NUCLEAR WEAPON
PROCESSING
• AS WELL AS NATURALLY OCCURRING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
N.W.M

12. NUCLEAR WASTE
• NUCLEAR WASTE:- WASTE GAS OR LIQUID OR
SOLID CONTAINING RADIO- NUCLIDE SUBSTANCES
• TYPES:a. HIGH-LEVEL (HALF LIFE TIME >30 YEARS)
b. LOW-LEVEL (HALF LIFE TIME <30 YEARS)
N.W.M

13. NUCLEAR WASTE
• HIGH LEVEL WASTE:COMES FROM THE PRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR
WEAPON AND THE TESTING OF THEM
• LOW-LEVEL WASTE:COMES FROM HOUSEHOLDS PRODUCTS LIKE
PAINT, PAINT THINNER, BATTERIES, AND OTHER
CAR PRODUCTS
N.W.M

14. HALF LIFE TIME FOR NUCLEAR
WASTE
• HALF LIFE TIME:- HALF LIFE IS THE PERIOD OF
TIME REQUIRED FOR SUBSTANCE UNDERGOING
DECAY TO DECREASE BY HALF
• USED TO DESCRIBE CHARACTERISTICS OF
UNSTABLE ATOM
• TIME REQUIRED TO DECAY UNSTABLE ATOM
• FORMULA FOR HALF LIFE IN EXPOENATIAL
DECAY:Nt = No(½)( t / t ½)
Nt = No e-t λ
N.W.M

15. HALF LIFE TIME FOR NUCLEAR
WASTE
• No:- INITIAL QUANTITY OF THE SUBSTANCE
• Nt :- QUANTITY THAT STILL REMAINS
• t ½:- HALF-LIFE OF THE DECAYING QUANTITY
• λ :- DECAY CONSTANT
N.W.M

16. MATHEMATICAL MODELLING IN
RADIOACTIVE WASTE LEACHING
STUDIES
• TRANSPORT PHENOMENA INVOLVED IN THE
LEACHING OF A RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL FROM A
COMPOSITE MATRIX INTO SURROUNDING WATER
ARE INVESTIGATED USING THREE METHODS
BASED ON THEORETICAL EQUATIONS
a) DIFFUSION EQUATION (DERIVED FOR PLANE
SOURCE MODEL)
b) RATE EQUATION (DIFFUSION COUPLED WITH A
FIRST-ORDER REACTION )
c) AN EMPIRICAL METHOD (EMPLOYING A
POLYNOMIAL EQUATION)
N.W.M

17. MATHEMATICAL MODELLING IN
RADIOACTIVE WASTE LEACHING
STUDIES
•
THREE METHODS ARE COMPARED WITH RESPECT
TO THEIR APPLICABILITY TO EXPERIMENTAL
LEACHING DATA ON MORTAR AND CONCRETE
A) METHOD I: DIFFUSION EQUATION
IN THIS MODEL THE FRACTION F LEACHED AT
TIME IS GIVEN BY ,
N.W.M

18. WHERE,
Σan :- CUMULATIVE FRACTION LEACHED OF
CONTAMINANT FOR EACH LEACHING PERIOD
Ao :- INITIAL AMOUNT OF CONTAMINANT IN SAMPLE
V :- VOLUME OF SAMPLE (cm3)
S :- EXPOSED SURFACE AREA OF THE SAMPLE (cm 2)
tn :- DURATION OF LEACHANT RENEWAL PERIOD (d)
De :- DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT (cm2 s-1)
•
THE RESULTS MAY ALSO BE EXPRESSED BY THE
CUMULATIVE FRACTION OF THE CONTAMINANT
• LEACH TEST RESULTS ARE PLOTTED AS THE
CUMULATIVE FRACTION OF CONTAMINANT
LEACHED FROM THE SAMPLES AS A FUNCTION OF
SQUARE ROOT OF TOTAL LEACHING TIME
N.W.M

19. WHEN THIS IS TRUE, A PLOT OF Σan/Ao VERSUS
√Σtn IS A STRAIGHT LINE
THEN De ,
WHERE ,
m=(Σan/Ao) (1/√Σt),IS THE SLOPE OF THE STRAIGHT
LINE (d-1/2).
N.W.M

20. B) METHOD II: RATE EQUATION
IN THIS MODEL,
THE RATE EQUATION IS,
HERE,
THE SPECIAL CASE WHERE g(C) IS DIRECTLY
PROPORTIONAL TO THE CONCENTRATION C, i.e. A
FIRST-ORDER REACTION WAS CONSIDERED
THE INITIAL AND BOUNDARY CONDITIONS ARE,
IS,
N.W.M

21. FROM THIS, THE FRACTION LEACHED FROM A
SPECIMEN HAVING A SURFACE AREA S(cm2) AND
VOLUME V(cm3) IS ,
WHERE k IS THE RATE CONSTANT
(PROPORTIONAL CONSTANT) OF THE FIRSTORDER REACTION
N.W.M

22. C) METHOD III:- POLYNOMIAL EQUATION
THE ORTHOGONAL POLYNOMIAL IS ONE OF THE
MOST USEFUL EMPIRICAL EQUATIONS.
ITS GENERAL FORM IS,
WHERE,
Ai :- PARAMETER TO BE DETERMINED
ΦI :-FUNCTION OF X
HERE,
φi (x) - IS TAKEN AS t1/2
THE LEACHING FRACTION IS GIVEN BY,
N.W.M

23. • CONCLUSION FROM MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
a) METHOD I CANNOT DESCRIBE THE WHOLE
LEACHING PROCESS; IT IS VERY CONVENIENT TO
SIMULATE A LEACHING OVER A LONGER PERIOD
BECAUSE OF ITS SIMPLICITY
b) DESPITE THE VERY COMPLEX NUMERICAL
TREATMENT REQUIRED, THE APPLICABILITY OF
METHOD II TO THE PRESENT DATA IS ONLY
COMPARABLE TO THAT OF METHOD I
c) METHOD III GIVES THE BEST APPROXIMATIONS
DURING THE WHOLE PERIOD TESTED
N.W.M

24. EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WASTE
• HEALTH RISK :1. SOMATIC EFFECTS (EFFECT IS PRIMARILY SUFFERED
BY THE INDIVIDUAL EXPOSED EXAMPLE: CANCER)
2. GENETICS EFFECTS (EFFECT IS SUFFERED BY THE
OFFSPRING OF THE INDIVIDUAL EXPOSED)
3. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS (BIRTH DEFFECTS, PARENTAL
DEATH)
• ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS :1. CHERNOBYL DIGSTER (NOW CALLED “RED FOREST” )
- RADIOACTIVE PARTICLES SETTLED ON TREES KILLING
AREAS OF FOREST
N.W.M

25. EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WASTE
• BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION:BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO HIGH DOSE OF
RADIATION,
a. < 5 RAD:- NO IMMEDIATE OBSERVABLE EFFECTS
b. 5 RAD TO 50 RAD:- SLIGHT BLOOD CHANGES MAY
BE DETECTED BY MEDICAL EVALUATIONS
c. 50 RAD TO 150 RAD:- SLIGHT BLOOD CHANGES
WILL BE NOTED AND SYMPTOMS OF NAUSEA,
FATIGUE, VOMITING, ETC.
d. 150 RAD TO 1,100 RAD:- SEVERE BLOOD CHANGES
WILL BE NOTED AND SYMPTOMS APPEAR
IMMEDIATELY
N.W.M

26. PROBLEMS OF NUCLEAR WASTE
GENAERATION
• THE GROWTH OF NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES IS VITABLE
WITH THE RENEWED FUEL SUPPLIES TO INDIA ,SO
THE GENERATION OF NUCLEAR WASTE
• WITH THE INCREASE IN NUCLEAR RESEARCHES,
POWER GENERATION etc. THE MAJOR PROBLEM
FACED IS MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE
N.W.M

27. WASTE DISPOSAL MANAGEMENT &
REGULATION
• WASTE MANAGEMENT MEANS THE ENTIRE
SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS STARTING WITH
GENERATIONS OF WASTE AND ENDING WITH
DISPOSAL
• APPROACHES TO RADIOACTIVE WASTE
DISPOSAL(RAW)
N.W.M

28. METHODS CONSIDERD FOR
NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL
METHODS
N.W.M

29. GEOLOGICAL DUMPING
• GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL MEANS DISPOSAL OF
NUCLEAR WASTE UNDER CONTINENTAL CRUST OR
UNDER SEABED
• IT PROVIDES NATURAL ISOLATION SYSTEM THAT
IS STABLE OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS TO
CONTAIN LONG LIVED RADIOACTIVE WASTE
• LOW LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE (IN NEAR
SURFACE FACILITIES OR OLD MINES)
• HIGH LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE (IN HOST
ROCKS THAT ARE CRYSTALINE OR
ARGILLACEOUS)
N.W.M

30. OCEAN DUMPING
• OCEAN DUMPING (GOOD ALTERNATIVE AND LEAST
EXPENSSIVE METHOD)
• IN THIS METHOD NUCLEAR WASTE IS DUMPED
INTO THE OCEAN
• FOR MANY YEARS THE COUNTRIES LIKE
U.S.A.,U.K.,FRANCE etc. ADOPTED THIS METHOD
• BANNED BY MOST OF COUNTRIES DUE TO
SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF BAD EFFECTS ON OCEAN
AND MARINE LIFE
• BUT RUSSIA CONTINUES TO DISPOSE OF ITS
WASTE INTO OCEAN ;BECAUSE IT HAS NO OTHER
ALTERNATIVE METHOD
N.W.M

31. SUBDUCTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
• IT IS ONE OF THE SINGLE VIABLE DISPOSAL
METHOD WHICH ENSURES NON RETURN OF
REGULATED MATERIAL TO BIOSPHERE
• SUBDUCTION IS PROCESS WHERE ONE TECTONIC
PLATE SLIDES BENEATH ANOTHER AND IS
EVENTUALLY REABSORBED INTO MANTLE
• IT FORMS HIGH LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN A
SUBDUCTING PLATE WHERE IT WILL BE
DISPERSED THROUGH MANTLE
N.W.M

32. TRANSMUTATION OF HIGH LEVEL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
• TRANSMUTATION DEVICES CONSISTING OF
NUCLEAR REACTOR AND AN ACCELARATOR OF
CHARGED PARTICLES ARE USED TO DESTROY
RADIOACTIVITY BY NEUTRONS
• THE FISSION FRAGMENTS CAN BE TRANSMUTED
BY NEUTRON CAPTURE AND BETA DECAY TO
PRODUCE STABLE NUCLIDES
N.W.M

33. SCOPE OF NUCLEAR GROWTH IN
INDIA
• WITH SIGNING NUCLEAR DEAL ,THE CIVILIAN
NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES WILL BE ACCELARATED AND
THE ENERGY GENERATION FROM NUCLEAR
SOURCES WILL BE ON A RISE
• WITH NUCLEAR SUPPLIER GROUP (NSG)
SUPPLYING THE NUCLEAR FUEL THE NET GROWTH
OF NUCLEAR POWER WILL BE A BOON TO INDIAN
ECONOMY AS WELL AS IT REDUCES THE
DEPENDENCY ON NON RENEWABLE SOURCES OF
ENERGY
N.W.M

34. RADIOACTIVE WASTE
MANAGEMENT IN INDIA
• ELECTICITY GENERATION BY NUCLEAR MEANS
CAN BE REGARDED AS MINIMUM MEASURE OF
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
• ON SCALE OF NUCLEAR SHARE OF ELECTRICITY
INDIA RANKS 4th FROM BOTTOM IN ABOUT 30
COUNTRIES
• UNDERGROUND ENGGINTRED TRENCHES IN NEAR
SURFACE DISPOSAL FACILLITIES ARE UTILISED
FOR DISPOSAL OF WASTE
N.W.M

35. RADIOACTIVE WASTE
MANAGEMENT IN INDIA
• HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICULATE AIR (HEPA)
FILTERS ARE USED TO MINIMISE AIR BORNE
RADIOACTIVITY
• TROMBAY ,TARAPORE ,KAKRAPARA ,
NARORA,HYDERABAD AND JADUGUDA ARE SOME
OF SETUP OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
N.W.M

36. RADIO ACTIVE WASTE
MANAGEMENT IN INDIA
COUNTRY
ELECTRICITY GENERATION (%)
FRANCE
75
SWEDEN
47
THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
42.24
JAPAN
34.65
GERMANY
31.21
UK
28.87
USA
19.80
RUSSIA
14.41
CANADA
12.44
INDIA
2.65

37. RADIO ACTIVE WASTE
MANAGEMENT IN INDIA
COUNTRY
GIGAWATTS
USA
97
FRANCE
63
JAPAN
44
GERMANY
21
RUSSIA
20
THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
13
UK
13
CANADA
10
SWEDEN
9
INDIA
9

38. RECOMMANDATION FOR SOLVING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
• THERE ARE VARIOUS METHOD RECOMMANDED
FOR NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT , IN WHICH
SEABED DISPOSAL IS ONE OF THEM
• SEABED DISPOSAL IS DIFFERENT FROM SEA
DUMPING WHICH DOESNOT INVOLVE ISOLATION
OF LOW LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE WITHIN A
GEOLOGICAL STRTUM
• HOWEVER THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN
TO BE ANSWERED ?:N.W.M

39. RECOMMANDATION FOR SOLVING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
N.W.M

40. PROPOSED MODEL OF NUCLEAR
WASTE CONTAINER
• PROVIDE PROTECTIVE BARRIERS AGAINST
PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL STRESS DURING
TRANSPORTATION, INTERIM STORAGE AND
DISPOSAL
• WASTE CONTAINERS ARE USED IN BURIALS OF
NUCLEAR WASTE
• IT INCLUDES CARBON STEEL DRUM, LINERS
AND BOXES AND HIGH INTEGRITY CONTAINER
N.W.M

41. PROPOSED MODEL FOR WASTE
PACKAGE CONTAINAR
N.W.M

42. PROPOSED MODEL OF NUCLEAR
WASTE CONTAINER
• CABON STEEL CONTAINERS ARE INEXPENSIVE
BUT CAN UNDERGO BOTH UNIFORM CORROSION
AND PITTING CORROSION WITHIN SOIL AND
CEMENTED SYSTEM
• LIFE TIME OF CARBON STEEL CONTAINER IS TO BE
VERY SHORT , SO IT IS USED FOR DISPOSAL OF
SHORT LIVED NUCLIDES
• HIGH INTEGRITY CONTAINERS REPRESENTS
MORE DURABLE AND ARE USED FOR DISPOSAL OF
LONG LIVED HIGH ACTIVE WASTE
N.W.M

43. • THIS TYPE OF HIC IS
EXPECTED TO FAIL
EVENTUALLY BY
DEGRADATIONOF
CONCRETE CASING
AND CREEP OF HIGH
DENSITY POLYMER

44. CONCLUSION
• NUCLEAR WASTE REQUIRES SOPHISTICATED
TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT TO
SUCCESSFULLY ISOLATE IT FROM INTERACTING
WITH THE BIOSPHERE
• THIS USUALLY NECESSIATES TREATMENT,
FOLLOWED BY LONG TERM MANAGEMENT
STRATEGYINVOLVING STORAGE,DISPOSAL OR
TRANSFORMATION OF NUCLEAR WASTE INTO
NON-TOXIC FORM

45. REFERENCES
• CE S. Budiansky and J. Josephson, Waste Disposal Chemistry,
Enelronmental
• Science Technology 14, no, 5 (1980):508.
• Plecas, I.,Peric, A., Drljaca, J., Kostadinovic, A."Leaching
Behavior of 137 Cs in Cement", J.Radioanal.Nucl.Chem., Lett.,
154 ,309-317. (1991)
• Sludge Disposal,” Environmental Science and Technology 10,
no. 12, (1976):1147
• B. L. Cohen, “Ocean Dumping of High Level Waste— ” Nuclear
Technology 47 (1980)
• Cl. B. L. Cohen, “The Cancer Risk from Low Level Radiation,”
Health Physics 39(1981):659
• M. A. Callahan, etal., Water Related Fate of129 Priority
Pollutants, vol. 1, EPA-440/4-79-O29a, 2, EPA-440/4-79-029b,
December

46. THANK YOU