Nuclear waste produces radioactive material as a by-product of nuclear reactions. It uses to generate nuclear power. Nuclear waste is dangerous and can remain radioactive for thousands of years, making safe disposal a significant challenge. There are currently several methods for disposing of nuclear waste, deep geological repositories and reprocessing. However, there is still ongoing research and debate about the most effective monitoring techniques of nuclear waste and safe ways to manage and dispose of nuclear waste.
Disposal of Nuclear Waste
The safe disposal of nuclear waste has always been a major problematic task. Now scientists have turned radioactive isotope, a major waste product in the nuclear power industry, into the more friendly isotope Iodine-128 using laboratory lasers.
Iodine-129 is a major waste product from nuclear power plants and has a half-life of 15.7 million years, making it difficult and dangerous to dispose of. Today it is encased in glass and buried deep in the earth. Researchers have successfully irradicated Iodine-129 with a laser beam turning it into Iodine-128 with a half-life of just 25 minutes. It can safely handle and dispose of within an hour. The next step is to develop this technique on an industrial scale and with other radioactive isotopes. Scientists are currently working on a proposal to develop a large laser system to cope with the volume of Iodine-129 produced by the nuclear power industry.
Recent discovery shows that we can transmute isotopes using lasers. Now we need to scale up our methods to deal with the volumes to produce by the nuclear power industry in the future. Using lasers is a cheap and efficient way of disposing of nuclear waste. This discovery will also provide an easy way of producing the isotopes needed to operate the PET scanners used in hospitals and research. These isotopes are manufacture in huge machines that is cyclotrons. Researchers hope to quickly apply this technique to the production of these isotopes and believe this will be a practical reality within the next five years.
Monitoring Techniques of Nuclear Waste
Unlike other pollutants, radiation measure accurately to prepare a rigorous monitoring system. It uses as a model for other forms of pc pollution control. The monitoring techniques of nuclear waste are:
- Sampling and sample preparation for analysis
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis.
The radioactive materials’ rate of decay and radiations’ subsequent emission are unaltered by man. Hence it cannot converted into other non-toxic materials. Preventive measures should double-edged to curtail the effects of occupational exposure and the population’s exposure at large.
All measures should so aim that the level of radioactive pollution does not exceed the maximum permissible doses. Industrial wastes may be discharged into the environment only after necessary treatment so that radioactivity is lower. Wastes discharge into the sewer system or streams. Before discharge, the low-activity wastes are stored to reduce the activity.
In the case of highly radioactive wastes, they cannot be discharged. There is try to disposal of wastes into the sea. In one type, the wastes seal in concrete-filled steel drums and discharge to 1,000 fathoms or more depth. Since disposal into the sea is costly, underground disposal has also been suggested. The next step in the prevention of radioactive pollution is a limitation of the emission of radioactive pollutants.
This is a fruitful measure to plan before the commencement of construction. There are several techniques according to nature of the industry or process. For example, radioactive materials carry out under a jet of soil (or water) instead of gaseous and powder forms in chemical and metallurgical industries. In uranium mines, wet drilling may be combined with underground drainage.
Dispersal methods make the pollutants in a confined place spread over a large area. The use of high chimneys and ventilation at workplaces where radioactive contamination is high are some of the dispersion methods.
In the case of occupational exposure, individual contamination is more and more, and this should be prevented by taking the following steps:
- When working with radioactive materials where it is impossible to reduce the radiation. The duration of exposure shorten by perform the operations rapidly or by several workers to complete it.
- Radioactive operations carry out by remaining a sufficient distance from the source.
Though some methods prevent external radiation nuclear hazards, it is difficult to curtail internal hazards. Ingestion or inhalation of radioactive material may be prevent by proper working habits and good housekeeping practices, like regular monitoring and clean-up of surfaces careful washing when leaving the experiment room, and no smoking, eating or drinking in the contaminated rooms. Using masks, hoods, overalls, boots, caps, and gloves reduces the risk of internal contamination of long-lived isotopes, which causes serious consequences. The best way to protect ourselves is to adopt suitable preventive measures then and there.