J. Alian^{* *}Correspondence: J. Alian, Department of Atomic Energy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States, Email:

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Description

Nuclear fuel provides the benefits of a high energy density as well as easy storage and transportation. However, the issue of disposing of nuclear waste is getting more and more important as the number of nuclear power plants rises. The removal of nuclear waste is a difficult task. These nuclear wastes are first only temporarily deposited or dumped without any further treatment for nuclear waste. When uranium tailings were previously uncontrolled in the United States, some of them were paved with construction materials and some were thrown into dams, resulting in significant pollution. It is apparent that the high expense of nuclear waste disposal and the improvement of nuclear waste management may result in a reduction in investment. Due to the substantial risk associated with nuclear waste, it is essential to effectively manage the entire radioactive waste process, minimizing the harm that its radiation causes to the environment and people.

Nuclear Waste Characteristics and Categories

Low-level nuclear waste, medium-level radioactive nuclear waste, and high-level nuclear waste are all included in the so-called nuclear waste.

The first type typically consists of some radioactive materials and some waste gas waste produced by nuclear power plants.

The second type typically consists of some waste liquid waste produced during the production of electricity.

Expended fuel that is refilled from the core is the third kind. It has high radioactivity since only a small percentage of it is utilized.

Nuclear Waste Treatment

It can be loosely divided into three categories: treatment of radioactive waste gas, treatment of radioactive waste liquid, and treatment of solidification. The radiation safety standards’ radionuclide emission limits for each release of radioactive waste gas must be rigorously followed. The leftover gas is released into the atmosphere after the radioactive particles have been absorbed and filtered by an air filter device. The most significant radioactive waste is liquid since it is caustic, difficult to store, and quick to penetrate. Chemical precipitation, ion exchange, and electro dialysis are the principal therapeutic processes. The fixing of radioactive waste liquid and long-term storage of the radionuclide are the two goals that must be accomplished by curing. The cured product must have enough damage resistance in order to meet the aforementioned requirements. After curing, it is simple to transport, store, and finish.

Recycling of Nuclear Waste

Even though the bulk of the material in used nuclear fuel may be reused, some countries, most notably the united States, view it as trash. The recovery of plutonium and uranium, which may both be used in conventional facilities, has been the focus of the majority of recycling efforts to far.

Latest Treatment Techniques

In the most recent research, Tri-butyl-phosphate absorbent material was used to identify the best conditions for uranium recovery from nuclear waste. According to the findings, increasing the extraction solvent volume, acid content, and blending time improved extraction efficiency. The main objective is to identify the ideal conditions for hydrogen removal from nuclear waste that will prevent hydrogen creation during preservation and, as a result, eliminate any risk of overpressure and detonation. To improve its efficacy, additional experiments concentrating on the removal of Uranium (VI) ions from aqueous nuclear wastes are being conducted.

Conclusion

Small volumes of LLRW still need to be transported to disposal sites despite the broad use of storage for decay. The future of commercial LLRW management in the US is by no means stable beyond that time frame, even if disposal capacity in US Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed facilities countrywide looks to be adequate for the biomedical demands of the next few decades.