Geology Essay

Names: Bashar Bataineh, Ibraheem Ma'aleih, Laith Altal, Momen

Almarazqah, Muhannad Alotaqi

Section: 10 (C)

Illegal Nuclear Waste Disposal

and Its Effects on the Surrounding Environment
One of the greatest environmental catastrophes that the media does not spotlight due to
corruption and personal benefits that dominate the public needs is the illegal ways of nuclear
waste disposal. Although all countries and companies are aware of its destructive consequences
on organisms, and their natural habitats, even the following generations, still many of them
prefer providing their financial resources over sustaining a healthy and safe future for the
population of this region, including plants, animals, and humans. This article will mention some
of these illegal ways and their consequences on the environment.

A serious environmental problem associated with nuclear energy is generating radioactive waste,
analogous to uranium remainders, used reactor energy, and other radioactive waste. Waste is
generated at every stage of nuclear energy processing and use, from used nuclear energy and
uranium waste (flaxen radioactive waste containing heavy substances and radioactive waste from
uranium shops) to so-called low-position waste (LLW), analogous as used for transport
Containers, workers' vesture and footwear, paper, rags and anything else that can be used to
dispose of or reclaim nuclear waste. High-position radioactive waste is mainly uranium energy
that has been used in nuclear reactors and has been" used up" or is no longer effectively
generating electricity. High-position nuclear waste remains radioactive mainly for knockouts of
thousands of times and must be disposed of to enable safe sequestration for extended periods. 

Radioactive waste is a gas, liquid, sludge, or solid classified as waste and contains nuclear
materials that exceed disposal standards and cannot be used in the future. Radioactive waste can
range from slightly below natural background situations (analogous to uranium chase) to
important advanced than reactors and nuclear reactor factors' accustomed energy. Transuranic
waste includes paraphernalia defiled with radioactive rudiments (e.g., neptunium, americium,
plutonium) that are artificially produced, mainly from the reclaiming of used energy and the use
of plutonium in nuclear munitions products. Low-position radioactive waste from nuclear
wisdom and technology must be precisely handled and transported for disposal, indeed if it has
lower situations of radioactivity than spent nuclear power plant energy and has a shorter decay
time. As for ways to handle and dispose of nuclear waste, the first step in dealing with it is
understanding how it is produced. Nuclear waste is produced when nuclear energy is used to
generate electricity. The byproduct of this generation is nuclear waste. The byproducts of nuclear
energy pose a danger to the environment and humans if not handled properly. For example,
nuclear fuel, the nuclear fuel rods used in nuclear power plants to generate electricity, can only
be stored in nuclear waste storage facilities. 

The second step of fundamental importance in the treatment of nuclear waste is to ensure its safe
disposal by collecting and sorting it according to its type, changing its physical and chemical
properties, and finally conditioning the materials to be disposed of or stored by freezing and
packaging, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 

The third step, there are three main steps in the nuclear waste disposal process: pre-treatment,
treatment, and conditioning. Initially, the pre-treatment includes separating contaminated and
non-contaminated materials, reducing the volume of waste, and reducing the percentage of
contamination of materials before treatment. We move to the next step, which is the treatment.
This step includes separating the radioactive component from the bulk waste, resulting in a
change in the composition of the waste during this process. The processing method depends on
the nature of the waste and the disposal site where the waste is intended to be disposed of.
Finally comes the conditioning step, transforming waste into a disposable form for
transportation, storage, or disposal. Then the most appropriate way to dispose of this waste is
determined based on its physical and chemical properties. 

The dilemma of systematic management of mass-produced radioactive material at every stage of

nuclear energy production, from uranium mining and enrichment to reactor operation and
reprocessing of used fuel, is a dilemma that has plagued the industry, scientists, and
governments. The international consensus is that high-level radioactive waste must eventually be
buried deep underground, a geological location where it can remain isolated from the surface and
atmosphere even in the distant future. Nuclear fuel remains dangerously radioactive for hundreds
of years. High-level nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years and
must be disposed of to enable safe isolation. After decades of civilian nuclear power and billions
of dollars to research geological sites and ways to deal with waste more efficiently, the
challenges have become technical and political. Governments and industry have concluded that
deep burial is the best solution, at least for now. The disposal of nuclear waste or radioactive
waste ensures continued nuclear energy generation. Nuclear energy plants and other companies
must follow several basic and strict rules to ensure that all nuclear waste is disposed of safely
and accurately. Also, all toxic waste should be disposed of safely, not just radioactive waste. 
Nuclear energy plants also generate low-level radioactive waste, safely contained and stored and
then regularly disposed of at various sites across the country. Low-level radioactive waste
includes tools, protective clothing, cleaning cloths, and other single-use items that have been
contaminated with small amounts of dust or radioactive particles in nuclear fuel processing
plants and nuclear energy plants. 

The radioactivity of radioactive waste can differ slightly from normal background levels. For
example, there is much higher radioactivity for uranium residue than for used fuel from reactors
and nuclear reactor parts. However, high-level waste, including used nuclear fuel and its
byproducts, is hot and requires many years of cooling and a thick metal shield to prevent the
release of radioactivity. Fortunately, the amount of radioactive material left from nuclear energy
plants is negligible compared to waste from other energy generation methods such as burning
coal or gas, but this can be costly and must be done correctly. 
An article published by NWPB illustrates that 2.5 million pounds of radioactive waste were
illegally dumped in Oregon Landfill near the Columbia River. Goodnight Midstream provides
brine water supply and recycling services to the oil and gas industry for fracking operations. The
liquid that Chemical Waste Management had received had been in contact with rocks
underground that contained radium, said ODOE's nuclear waste remediation specialist Jeff
Burright.

"Then they filtered that water so that they can reuse it, that radium was captured in what is
known as filter socks, which are very long teabags if you will, and it accumulated there and what
we have gathered is about 80% of the total waste consisted of these filter socks," Burright said.
Oregon has a threshold of five picocuries per gram of radium 226. Picocuries are a measurement
of the radioactivity in a liter of air. "The waste received at Chemical Waste Management
Arlington had a range of concentrations over the time running from just a few picocuries per
gram up to the maximum in about one and half ton's total was around 1,700 picocuries per
gram," Burright said.

Initially, Chemical Waste Management had no records of a relationship with Goodnight

Midstream. However, it was later confirmed that the North Dakota company contracted a third
party, Oilfield Waste Logistics, to dispose of its solid waste. Shipping manifests showed that
OWL was sending Goodnight Midstream's waste to Arlington.

Finally, radioactive and nuclear waste is dangerous to humans, animals, and the environment.
Suppose it is not disposed of in legal and safe ways. In that case, its consequences may be
devastating, in addition to the importance of having laws imposed on countries that own nuclear
reactors or work in the field of uranium enrichment regarding storage and transportation methods
to ensure the safety of workers in this field and the safety of citizens residing in these countries.

References:

 https://www.nei.org/fundamentals/nuclear-waste  
 https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/looking-trash-can-nuclear-waste-management-united-states/  
 https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-waste-
management.aspx 
 https://chinadialogue.net/en/energy/nuclear-renaissance-hinges-on-solving-the-waste-issue/  
 https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/radwaste.html  
 https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/dangers-and-effects-of-nuclear-waste-disposal.php  
 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/01/what-should-we-do-with-radioactive-nuclear-
waste 
 https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/18/nuclear-waste-why-theres-no-permanent-nuclear-waste-dump-in-
us.html 
 https://www.gao.gov/nuclear-waste-disposal  
 https://www.power-technology.com/analysis/what-to-do-about-nuclear-waste/  
 https://www.energy.gov/articles/finding-long-term-solutions-nuclear-waste  
 https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-waste-
management.aspx 
 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/01/what-should-we-do-with-radioactive-nuclear-
waste 
 https://www.nei.org/fundamentals/nuclear-waste  
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/radioactive-waste  
 https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/nuclear-power-and-the-environment.php  
 https://www.nti.org/atomic-pulse/the-good-the-bad-and-the-extraterrestrial-the-decades-long-struggle-to-
dispose-of-nuclear-waste/
 https://www.nwpb.org/2020/02/15/2-5-million-pounds-of-radioactive-waste-illegally-dumped-in-oregon-
landfill-near-columbia-river/