This book features scientific research that supports the safe and effective disposal of radioactive waste in a geological repository. One highlight of the volume is the opening talk by Rustum Roy, who was instrumental in establishing the first symposium on this topic in 1978. Professor Roy summarizes his views of the past 19 years of progress in the field. A second highlight is the participation by several Russian and Ukrainian scientists who authored papers on nuclear waste disposal aspects of the Chernobyl Unit 4 reactor that exploded in April 1986. Additional topics include: glass formulations and properties; glass/water interactions; cements in radioactive waste management; ceramic and crystalline waste forms; spent nuclear fuel; waste processing and treatment; radiation effects in ceramics, glasses and nuclear waste materials; waste package materials; radionuclide solubility and speciation; radionuclide sorption; radionuclide transport; repository backfill; performance assessment; natural analogues and excess plutonium dispositioning.
During late 1978, a symposium entitled "Science Underlying Radioactive Waste Management" was one component of the Annual Meet ing of the Materials Research Society held in Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose of this Symposium was to bring together for the first time the entire range of sciences that form the basis for the treatment, solidification and isolation of radioactive wastes. Some 79 papers were presented to an international audience of over 300. The Symposium was such an impressive success that another will be held at the 1979 Annual Meeting of the Materials Research Society. The proceedings of the forthcoming symposium will also be published and it is for this reason that the present volume has been desig nated Volume 1. The scope of the Symposium was defined by the following steer ing committee: Rustum Roy, The Pennsylvania State University (Chairman) Richard S. Claassen, Sandia Laboratories Don Ferguson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Victor I. Spitsyn, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Moscow David B. Stewart, United States Geological Survey Torbjorn Westermark, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. The program was organized by the following committee: Gregory J. McCarthy, The Pennsylvania State University (Cha- man) Harry C. Burkholder, Battelle Memorial Institute Arnold M. Friedman~ Argonne National Laboratory Werner Lutze, Hahn-Meitner Institut, Berlin John G. Moore, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Robert W. Potter, II, United States Geological Survey Richard L. Schwoebe1, Sandia Laboratories Roger W. Staehle, Ohio State University.
The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners. This book was first published in 1993.
The Symposium on the Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Manage ment was held in the fall of 1979 in Boston, Massachusetts and was one of a number of symposia included in the Annual Meeting of the Materials Research Society. The thrust of this annual Symposium is unique in the area of waste management. Recognizing that this is an area of great complexity which requires contributions from scien tists with many different backgrounds some of which are not normally associated with nuclear energy, the Materials Research Society pro vides a forum for discussions of a wide range of materials behavior and transport phenomena. As can be seen from the list of references in each paper, the authors draw heavily on contributions associated with professional societies in addition to the Materials Research Society, and this annual meeting encourages the cross-fertilization between disciplines that are essential to an adequate treatment of the problems associated with nuclear waste management. The proceed ings of the first Symposium that was held in 1978 was designated as Volume 1 in this series. The third Symposium is scheduled for 1980. The scope of the 1979 Symposium was guided by the Steering Committee: R. L. Schwoebel, Sandia Laboratories, USA (Chairman) W. Carbiener, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, USA D. Ferguson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA W. Heimerl, DWK, Mol, Belgium W. Lutze, Hahn Meitner Institut, Berlin, W. Germany J. D. Mather, Institute of Geological Sciences, Harwell, UK G. Oertel, Department of Energy, USA R.
Focused attention by world leaders is needed to address the substantial challenges posed by disposal of spent nuclear fuel from reactors and high-level radioactive waste from processing such fuel. The biggest challenges in achieving safe and secure storage and permanent waste disposal are societal, although technical challenges remain. Disposition of radioactive wastes in a deep geological repository is a sound approach as long as it progresses through a stepwise decision-making process that takes advantage of technical advances, public participation, and international cooperation. Written for concerned citizens as well as policymakers, this book was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and waste management organizations in eight other countries.
Drawing on the authors' extensive experience in the processing and disposal of waste, An Introduction to Nuclear Waste Immobilisation, Second Edition examines the gamut of nuclear waste issues from the natural level of radionuclides in the environment to geological disposal of waste-forms and their long-term behavior. It covers all-important aspects of processing and immobilization, including nuclear decay, regulations, new technologies and methods. Significant focus is given to the analysis of the various matrices used, especially cement and glass, with further discussion of other matrices such as bitumen. The final chapter concentrates on the performance assessment of immobilizing materials and safety of disposal, providing a full range of the resources needed to understand and correctly immobilize nuclear waste.
During the next several years, decisions are expected to be made in several countries on the further development and implementation of the geological disposition option. The Board on Radioactive Waste Management (BRWM) of the U.S. National Academies believes that informed and reasoned discussion of relevant scientific, engineering and social issues can-and should-play a constructive role in the decision process by providing information to decision makers on relevant technical and policy issues. A BRWM-initiated project including a workshop at Irvine, California on November 4-5, 1999, and subsequent National Academies' report to be published in spring, 2000, are intended to provide such information to national policy makers both in the U.S. and abroad. To inform national policies, it is essential that experts from the physical, geological, and engineering sciences, and experts from the policy and social science communities work together. Some national programs have involved social science and policy experts from the beginning, while other programs have only recently recognized the importance of this collaboration. An important goal of the November workshop is to facilitate dialogue between these communities, as well as to encourage the sharing of experiences from many national programs. The workshop steering committee has prepared this discussion for participants at the workshop. It should elicit critical comments and help identify topics requiring in-depth discussion at the workshop. It is not intended as a statement of findings, conclusions, or recommendations. It is rather intended as a vehicle for stimulating dialogue among the workshop participants. Out of that dialogue will emerge the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the National Academies' report.