Reprocessing Nuclear Fuel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Reprocessing Nuclear Fuel - Essay Example Handling of the radioactive wastes is dependent on the time taken for half the atoms of the radionuclides to decay. The wastes with long half-life are easier to handle compared to those wastes with short half-life. Reprocessing of nuclei waste is mainly objected to safeguarding human population and the environment prior to releasing the wastes to the environment. This process mainly reduces the radionuclides concentrations in the waste, which are presumed harmless. Common radioactive wastes are categorized into very low level wastes, low level wastes, intermediate level wastes and high level wastes. Very low level wastes contain radioactive material at concentrations accepted not to be harmful to human population and the surrounding environment, main components are materials of: concrete, plaster, bricks, metals, valves and piping produced during operations, some food processing industries chemical industries and industries dealing in steel also produce this levels because of the nat ural radioactivity in the manufacturing process (Nikitin, Andrews & Holt, 2009, pp112- 167). Low level wastes are mainly generated from hospitals, nuclear fuel cycles and industries, they include: clothing, filters, papers and rags that mostly contains radioactivity with short lifes.They can be buried at shallow level, they doesn’t require shielding during handling and transportation. The wastes are compacted and incinerated before getting disposed. Low level wastes can comprise 90% volume but only 1% of the radioactivity of all radioactive waste. Intermediate level waste contain higher amounts of radioactivity, mainly comprise resins chemical sludge, metal fuel claddings and contaminated materials from reactor decommissioning.in handling these wastes the smaller once and those non solids can be solidified in concrete or bitumen to dispose, some of the intermediate level wastes requires shielding.7% of the intermediate level