Safety Assessment For Disposal Of HazardousWaste In Abandoned Underground Mines (original) (raw)
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Risk Assessment For Hazardous Waste Disposal In Abandoned Mines
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A significant technological challenge is the search for appropriate disposal of hazardous waste, It is evident that technologies that are simple, practical and economical for use should be developed, and they should both safeguard public health and reduce environmental pollution. Temporal disposal on the ground surface is a common approach in many European countries, a technique that could contaminate the environment in a short or long time perspective. Private enterprises and communities are responsible for the contamination but the cost for safe disposal of the waste is often estimated to be unacceptable and the critical situation may therefore become permanent. Disposal in abandoned mines is believed to be an achievable, low risk and relatively cheap way of disposal of hazardous waste. The objective of the research programrne described below is to investigate the prerequisites for using this alternative, to outline suitable design and construction technology and to make a perform...
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Deep geological disposal of dangerous waste like mercury, solidified organic pesticides and radioactive rest products, requires suitable engineered barriers. Use of deep abandoned mines is a rational and economic alternative to construction of a repository in virgin rock but requires knowledge of the structural constitution of the rock for assessment of groundwater flow and rock mechanical conditions. Such information is much more detailed through the activities of mining companies than from exploration of virgin rock. Organizations responsible for disposal of radioactive waste in crystalline rock count on the host rock as a barrier to migration of released radionuclides to the biosphere but present investigations reduce its role to provide mechanical support of the waste packages while effective hindrance of migration of contaminants can be offered by engineered barriers, i.e. waste containers and clay embedding them. For certain waste in granular form, like Hg batteries, mixing wi...
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Current hazardous waste management in Europe is characterized by great differences from country to country. In the majority of EU and other European countries landfill or incineration are the main options, although in several Western European countries recovery of hazardous waste is also important. European Directive 99/31 rises up the environmental standards for landfills and pushes hard for a big increase of the already high landfill tipping fees. Practically, this Directive acts as a market driver prohibiting new hazardous waste landfills. Taking into account that European Council Decision 2003/33 provides a concrete framework for the safe use of underground space, it seems that underground disposal in abandoned mines is a cheap and viable solution for hazardous waste. The investigation on a suitable technology for that purpose was the main objective of the research project “Low Risk Disposal Technology”. The paper presents the basic principles of the technology proposed and comp...
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Radionuclides are inorganic substances, and the solubility of inorganic substances is a major factor affecting the disposal of radioactive waste and the release of concentrations of radionuclides. The degree of solubility determines whether a nuclide source migrates to the far field of a radioactive waste disposal site. Therefore, the most effective method for retarding radionuclide migration is to reduce the radionuclide solubility in the aqueous geochemical environment of subsurface systems. In order to assess the performance of disposal facilities, thermodynamic data regarding nuclides in water–rock systems and minerals in geochemical environments are required; the results obtained from the analysis of these data can provide a strong scientific basis for maintaining safety performance to support nuclear waste management. The pH, Eh and time ranges in the environments of disposal sites cannot be controlled, in contrast to those under experimental conditions in laboratories. Using ...