Waste Classification
NUCP 2311
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U.S. Waste Classifications
NCRP Report No. 139, 2002
NCRP Report No. 139, Risk-Based Classification of Radioactive and Hazardous Chemical Wastes (2002)
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Radioactive Waste Categories
• Nuclear Waste Policy Act (1980, 1985)
– High Level Waste (HLW)-spent fuel and
reprecessing
– Transuranic Waste (TRU)- DoD and DoE
– Low Level Waste (LLW)
• Class A, B, C and GTCC
– Uranium Mill Tailings
– Naturally occurring and accelerator-produced
radioactive materials (NORM and NARM)
– Mixed Waste
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High Level Waste
1. Spent Fuel: irradiated commercial reactor fuel
2. Reprocessing Waste: liquid waste from solvent
extraction cycles in reprocessing. Also the solids into
which liquid wastes may have been converted. NOTE:
The Department of Energy defines HLW as reprocessing
waste only, while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
defines HLW as spent fuel and reprocessing waste.
Definitions quoted from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Website: http://www.ieer.org/clssroom/r-waste.html
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Transuranic Waste
Waste containing elements with atomic numbers
(number of protons) greater than 92, the atomic number
of uranium. (Thus the term "transuranic," or "above
uranium.") TRU includes only waste material that
contains transuranic elements with half-lives greater
than 20 years and concentrations greater than 100
nanocuries per gram. If the concentrations of the halflives are below the limits, it is possible for waste to have
transuranic elements but not be classified as TRU waste.
Definitions quoted from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Website: http://www.ieer.org/clssroom/r-waste.html
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Low Level Waste
Defined by what it is not. It is radioactive waste not
classified as high-level, spent fuel, transuranic or
byproduct material such as uranium mill tailings. LLW has
four subcategories: Classes A, B, C, and Greater-Than
Class-C (GTCC), described below. On average, Class A is
the least hazardous while GTCC is the most hazardous.
Definitions quoted from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Website: http://www.ieer.org/clssroom/r-waste.html
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Mill Tailings
• The residual wastes from milled ore after the
uranium has been extracted.
• Can be the remains of the mining of other metals
in which uranium was a byproduct, something
they were not looking for.
• Even thought the soil has less radioactive
material in than the normal undug-up soil there
are many chemicals that have been added to the
soil to process it.
• Volumetrically and BIG problem
NORM-NARM
• NORM-Naturally Occurring Radioactive
Material
• NARM- Naturally occurring or Accelerator
produced Radioactive Material
• TENORM- Technically Enhance Natural
Radioactive Material
Mixed Waste
• Waste that contains both radioactive
and hazardous components.
• Is regulated by both the EPA and the
NRC
Low Level Waste
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Options for LLW
• Disposal
• Exemptions
– Municipal landfill
– RCRA landfill
– Sanitary sewer
Basic Definition
• LLW is material which has been contaminated
by or contains short-lived radionuclides or
longer-lived radionuclides in relatively low
concentrations
• Usually contaminated clothing, small
equipment, cleaning materials , etc.
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Class A
On average the least radioactive of
the four LLW classes. Primarily
contaminated with "short-lived"
radionuclides. (average
concentration: 0.1 curies/cubic foot)
Largest percentage of volume of
waste generated 97%
Definitions quoted from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Website: http://www.ieer.org/clssroom/r-waste.html
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Class B
May be contaminated with a
greater amount of "short-lived"
radionuclides than Class A.
(average concentration: 2
curies/cubic foot) Can remain
active up to 300 years.
2% of total volume of waste
generated
Class-C
• May be contaminated with greater
amounts of long-lived and short-lived
radionuclides than Class A or B. (average
concentration: 7 curies/cubic foot) Remains
active for more than 300 years. Requires
deeper burial.
• 1% of total waste generated
Low Level Waste (cont’d)
Greater Than Class C (GTCC)
Most radioactive of the low-level classes. (average
concentration: 300 to 2,500 curies/cubic foot) (The 300
figure is based on the 1985 inventory. The higher figure
represents anticipated inventory in 2020, including some
decommissioning wastes.)
These wastes are the responsibility of the federal
government (1985 LLRWPAA). They require deep burial
by NRC regulation (1989).
Definitions quoted from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Website: http://www.ieer.org/clssroom/r-waste.html
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Differences
• Greater than Class C Waste Vs High level waste
• Radionuclides involved
• Half lives
• Should that be treated the same
• Buried the same place
TABLE A.
TABLE B.
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Classification by Law (10CFR61)
•
CLASS A Requirements
– A package is Class A if any of the following
conditions apply:
1. It does not contain any nuclides listed in Table A or B.
2. It contains nuclides listed in Table A with
concentrations equal or less than 10% of the values
given in Table A.
3. It contains nuclides listed in Table B with
concentrations equal to or less than the values given in
Column 1 of Table B.
4. Combinations of Cases 2 and 3 above.
(This class is mostly trash, low-level resins, and
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Classification by Law (10CFR61)
•
CLASS B Requirements
– A package is Class B if the following conditions
apply:
1. It contains nuclides listed in Table B with
concentrations greater than the values given in Column
1 of but less or equal to than the values listed in
Column 2.
2. If condition 1 applies but it also contains nuclides listed
in Table A with concentrations equal to or less than
10% of the values given in Table A.
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Classification by Law (10CFR61)
CLASS C Requirements


A package is Class C if the following conditions apply:
1. It contains nuclides listed in Table A with
concentrations greater than 10% of the values given in
Table A, but less than or equal to those values. (This
waste may also contain nuclides in Table B with
concentrations up to those in Column 3.)
2. It contains only nuclides listed in Table B with
concentrations greater than the values given in
Column 2 of but less than or equal to the values listed
in Column 3.
3. If case 2 applies, it may also contain nuclides from
Table A with concentrations equal to or less than 10%
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of the value in the table.
Classification by Law (10CFR61)
CLASS GTCC Requirements (also called C+)



A package is Class GTCC if either of the following apply:
1. It contains nuclides listed in Table A with
concentrations greater than the values given in Table
A.
2. It contains nuclides listed in Table B with
concentrations greater than the values listed in
Column 3.
No Rule of Mixtures!!
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Fraction Rule (OLD NEWS)
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Classification examples
Classify the following packages:
1.Contains 3 mCi/m3 99Tc and 2.5 mCi/m3 of 137Cs
2.Contains 0.5 Ci/m3 99Tc and 18 Ci/m3 of 63Ni
3.Contains 0.095 Ci/m3 129I
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Disposal Requirements for Class A, B, and
C (10 CFR 61)
1.The waste must not be packaged for
disposal in cardboard or fireboard boxes.
2.Liquid waste must be solidified or
packaged in sufficient absorbent material
to absorb twice the volume of liquid.
3.Liquids contained in solid waste shall not
exceed 1% of the waste volume.
4.Waste must not be explosive or reactive at
normal temperatures and pressures.
5.The waste must not contain or be capable
of generating toxic gases, vapors, or fumes
harmful to people (this does not apply to
gaseous waste; see item 7).
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Disposal Requirements for Class A, B, and
C (10 CFR 61.56)
6.Waste must not be pyrophoric.
7.Gaseous waste must be packaged at a
pressure of >1.5 atm at 20ºC and total
activity must be less than 100 Ci per
container.
8.Waste containing hazardous, biological,
pathogenic, or infectious material need
special treatment (see 10 CFR 61.56.a).
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Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory - Radioactive Waste Management Complex
(RWMC) -Disposal of Waste in Pit .
INEEL (Idaho Falls, ID)
DOE Photo (Mar-28-1958)
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Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) -Mixed Nature of Items in Trench - 1970 at the Idaho
National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory
INEEL (Idaho Falls, ID)
DOE Photo (Dec-1-1970)
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Volume of LLW Disposed
•
•
•
•
•
•
1985 - 2,680,000 ft3
1986 - 1,842,000 ft3
1987 - 1,842,000 ft3
1988 - 1,428,000 ft3
1989 - 1,626,000 ft3
1990 - 1,143,000 ft3
•
•
•
•
•
1991 - 1,369,000 ft3
1992 - 1,743,000 ft3
1993 - 792,000 ft3
1994 - 858,677 ft3
1995 - 690,000 ft3
• Why the decrease?
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J.H. Saling and A.W. Fentiman, “Radioactive Waste Management,” Second Edition,
(Taylor & Francis, NY  London) 2002.
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J.H. Saling and A.W. Fentiman, “Radioactive Waste Management,” Second Edition,
(Taylor & Francis, NY  London) 2002.
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Volume of Low-Level Waste at U.S.
Disposal Facilities, 1984-1995
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Radioactivity of Low-Level Waste at
U.S. Disposal Facilities, 1984-1995
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Volume Distribution of
Operational LLRW in Texas
"As-Disposed" Volume
Medical 11%
Military 5%
Utilities 22%
Academic
2%
Industry
60%
Radioactive Distribution of Operational
LLRW in Texas Compact
"As-Disposed" Volume
Medical
5%
Industrial
5%
Military
6%
Academic
14%
Utilities
70%
An Example of LLRW Engineered
Disposal Unit Design
Questions?