[en] Forecast of actinides wastes increase for the next 20 years shows the need for minimizing losses, volume reduction, reprocessing and geologic disposal of alpha wastes

[en] Spent fuel reprocessing is studied in a pilot plant. Low and high level radioactive wastes handling is described. Liquid wastes are solidified. Combustible solid wastes are incinerated. Non-combustible and ashes are send to disposal site. Volume reduction of alpha-bearing wastes is obtained by optimisation of the reprocessing and development of remote control methods

[en] A brief survey of the future research programme plan for the treatment of alpha bearing wastes is given

[en] A synthesis of the current practices and research and development work in the area of alpha-bearing waste and cladding hulls management is presented in 27 papers. After a review of national programmes, general management aspects of radioactive wastes are presented and different techniques are exposed, mainly incineration, volume reduction, conditioning concepts and cladding hulls

[en] In the USSR spent fuel is reprocessed, transuranium elements, rare earths and strontium are extracted. The amount of alpha bearing wastes is reduced by different techniques and work on extractants is being carried out

[en] Atomics International is designing and constructing a Molten Salt Combustion System to reduce the volume of solid radioactive waste received and generated at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) in the United States. This 45 kg/hr system will be used, initially, for the reduction of beta, gamma-contaminated waste and then later for alpha-bearing waste. This paper describes the Molten Salt Combustion concept of oxidizing combustible waste with air in molten sodium carbonate and summarizes the background development work. The paper will also discuss the design and equipment selection for the INEL unit

[en] Under contract with the European Atomic Energy Community the Belgian nuclear research center, S.C.K./C.E.N., has undertaken the development of a conditioning process for the cladding waste of LWR-fuel elements. It is based on mechanical compaction and encapsulation in a low-melting filling alloy. This programme started in November 1976. Basic data on the waste arisings and characteristics are presented. Preliminary experimental results with respect to compaction and encapsulation are rep

[en] Among the wastes arising from the reprocessing and Pu-fuel element fabrication plants, only seven waste streams contain the major part of the actinides going into the radioactive waste. It is shown that the liquid α-waste from fuel element fabrication, the high level liquid waste, and the active fraction of the medium level liquid waste can be incorporated into borosilicate glass. Wet combustion of solid burnable waste allows a relatively easy and complete recovery of plutonium. Leached hulls, sludges from feed clarification and solid non-combustible wastes can be incorporated into concrete. These treatment methods guarantee that only relatively small amounts of high quality α-bearing residues have to be disposed of

[en] The scope and status of the U.S. Program for the management of transuranium wastes are described. Specific areas include the objectives of the program, the amounts of waste inventory and generation rate, technology development areas, planned new facilities, retrievable storage and exhumation of burial pits, and final geological isolation of TRU wastes

[en] In the Federal Republic of Germany a nuclear fuel cycle park is in the preparation stage. It will comprise a reprocessing plant of 1400 t/a capacity, a mixed oxide fuel fabrication plant and the corresponding facilities for the treatment and disposal of the arising radioactive wastes. Methods for the treatment and disposal of low and medium level radioactive wastes have been developed and already successfully applied in large scale. Methods for high level wastes are under development. The objective of most of the R and D-activities in the field of α-bearing wastes are the transformation into a form suitable for final disposal. The recovery of plutonium is investigated in connection with the wet combustion of solid burnable wastes