Radioactive waste disposal in simulated peat bog repositories
The Low Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 and the Low Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 have required state governments to be responsible for providing low-level waste (LLW) disposal facilities in their respective areas. Questions are (a) is the technology sufficiently advanced to ensure that radioactive wastes can be stored for 300 to 1000 yr without entering into any uncontrolled area. (b) since actual experience does not exist for nuclear waste disposal over this time period, can the mathematical models developed be tested and verified using unequivocal data. (c) how can the public perception of the problem be addressed and the potential risk assessment of the hazards be communicated. To address the technical problems of nuclear waste disposal in the acid precipitation regions of the Northern Hemisphere, a project was initiated in 1984 to evaluate an alternative method of nuclear waste disposal that may not rely completely on engineered barriers to protect the public. Certain natural biogeochemical systems have been retaining deposited materials since the last Ice Age (12,000 to 15,000 yr). It is the authors belief that the biogeochemical system of wetlands and peat bogs may provide an example of an analogue for a nuclear waste repository system that can be tested and verified over a sufficient time period, at least for the LLW disposal problem.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA
- OSTI ID:
- 5660285
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-870601-; TRN: 88-009714
- Journal Information:
- Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 54; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Nuclear Society, Dallas, TX, USA, 7 Jun 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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SOILS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
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CHERNOBYLSK-4 REACTOR
PEAT
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SOURCE TERMS
WASTE DISPOSAL ACTS
ACCIDENTS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
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ENERGY SOURCES
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FOSSIL FUELS
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GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
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LAWS
LWGR TYPE REACTORS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC MATTER
POWER REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage