REACTOR ENGINEERING COURSE

AT BAEC (RECB-9) -2021

Training Institute
Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Savar, Dhaka

RADIOACTIVE WASTE
MANAGEMENT IN BANGLADESH
Dr. Debasish Paul
Chief Scientific Officer & Director
Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology
Atomic Energy Research Establishment,
Ganakbari, Savar, Dhaka
E-mail: dpaulbaec@yahoo.com
Introduction
Sealed radioactive sources are used worldwide in
medicine, industry and research for a wide range of
applications. At the end of their useful life, usually 5-15
years, the radioactive sources are defined as ‘spent’ or
‘disused’. Spent radioactive sources from the industrial
practices are to some extent radioactive.

Spent radioactive sources pose potential environmental

and public health problem because of their radioactivity,
if not properly managed.

If they are not strictly controlled the sources might be

stolen and their radioactive materials used in
radiological dispersion devices (dirty bombs) for acts of
terrorism.
 Radioactive Waste Generated from
Use of Radioisotopes

Medical Use Industrial Use R&D

Radioactive Waste
Objective of Radioactive Waste
Management

To protect human health and the environment now

and in the future without imposing undue burdens
of future generations.

Without appropriate disposal facilities, the safe

and secure long term management of the
sources cannot be fully guaranteed.
Form of Radioactive Waste

Radioactive wastes are in

gaseous
liquid and
solid form.
Industrial and Medical Application Sources
Cobalt-60 (Co-60) – used for medical treatment, industrial
radiography, industrial irradiators, level gauge.

Iridium-192 (Ir-192) – used for industrial radiography (non-

destructive examination).

Neutron sources (238Pu-Be, 241Am-Be, Californium-252 and

a few 226Ra-Be) – used in mining, oil and gas well logging.

Cesium-137 (Cs-137) – used in industrial irradiators,

medical treatment, level gauges and density meter.

Americium-241 (Am-241)– used for thickness, level gauges.

Strontium-90 (Sr-90) – used for thickness gauge.

The most common industrial radioactive sources are used in

level and thickness gauges and in process control. If these
gauges are not removed when a facility is closed, they can
end up in metal recycling facilities.
Impacts of Radioactive Waste Materials
on the Human Body
(1) External exposure by direct radiation of
radioactive materials contained in waste.
• Protected by shielding the radiation.

(2) Internal exposure by intake or inspiration of

radioactive materials.
• Gas can possibly be inspired if dispersed in
the air.
• Liquid will spread into the environment or
become gas by volatilization and
evaporation.
Solids can not be taken into the human body if the size
is greater.

Similar attention as to gas and liquid should be paid

to solid that will easily fragmented and become
powder or volatile.
 The Waste Categories
In accordance with radioactivity per unit volume (µCi/ml)

Unit: µCi/ml
Category Solid Waste Liquid Waste Gaseous
Waste
Extra high > 105
level
High level > 103 105  103 > 10-3
Medium 103  1 103  10-3 10-3  10-6
level
Low level 1  10-3 10-3  10-6 10-6  10-9
Extra low < 10-3 < 10-6 < 10-9
level
Basic Steps in Radioactive Waste Management

Waste and materials

Pretreatment

Treatment

Conditioning

Disposal
 Pretreatment/Treatment
 Pretreatment
Any or all the operations prior to waste treatment,
such as:
 Collection
 Segregation
 Decontamination
 Operations intend to benefit safety and/or economy by
changing the characteristics of the waste. Three basic
treatment objectives are:
 Volume reduction
 Removal of radionuclides from the waste
 Change of composition
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 Radioactive Waste Treatment Technologies
 Volume reduction
 Incineration of combustible waste or
compaction of dry solid waste

 Removal of radionuclides from the waste

 Evaporation, filtration or ion exchange of
liquid waste stream

 Change of composition
 Precipitation

 Immobilization of radioactive waste

 Solidification waste in cement
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Collection, Storage and Treatment of Waste

 Waste management facility requires plans

and procedures for
 collection
 transportation
 treatment
 storage and
 disposal

of all wastes, approved by the competent

authority prior to implement.
 An Outline of Waste Management
Radioactive Waste Generating Facilities
Generation

Gaseous Solid Liquid

waste waste waste

Discharge Solidification Discharge

Treatment

Temporary storage
disposal

Near Surface Disposal

 Treatment of Gaseous Radioactive Waste

Rare gases; Facilities for decay; Verification

Kr-85  Decay tank of Discharge
Xe-133  Charcoal bed Concentration

Verification
Volatile elements; Silver coated
of Discharge
I-131 charcoal filter
Concentration

Particulate Verification
Filtration by Discharge
Waste of
HEPA
Concentration

HEPA filtered: nuclear grade High Efficiency Particulate Air filtered.

Typical Methods of liquid Waste Treatment

 Evaporation
 Concentrate nonvolatile components in
the liquid waste by distillation.

 Generated steam is recovered by condenser.

Condensate is discharged after verification.

 Precipitation
 Forming precipitation by using chemical
agents. Radio nuclides separated with
precipitation.
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Liquid Waste Treatment: Evaporator
Typical Methods of Solid Waste Treatment

 Compaction
 Noncombustible and compressible solid waste is
compacted by press for volume reduction.

 Incineration
 Apply to combustible solid waste.

 Melting method
 Solid waste is melted by high temperature. A
method of effective volume reduction.

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Pretreatment of Solid Radioactive Waste

Same technique may be applied as

treatment or
pretreatment step
depending on the required sequence in the
overall waste management scheme.

 Example: low pressure compaction may be

applied as a treatment for low level
compactable solid wastes, but it becomes a
pretreatment for the case of super
compaction.
 Low Force Compaction

 Compaction is a process in which solid

materials are mechanically compressed to
achieve smaller volumes.

 Capable of compressing ‘compactable’ waste

composed mainly of plastic, paper, rubber
and cloth.
 High Force Compaction
 Also referred to as ‘super compaction’ or ‘ultra
compaction’.

 Waste is first placed into sacrificial containers and

then compressed. The crushed (compressed)
containers, or ‘pellets’, are then repackaged into
another container, the ‘overpack’.

 Super compaction can be utilized to reduce the

volume of compactable waste (paper, plastic and
cloth) as well as other heavier waste materials such
as metals, concrete, glass, wood, motors, electrical
and mechanical components, sand and other
materials which are generally ‘non-compactable’ by
low force compaction
 Conditioning of Processed Primary
Wastes
 Objective:
to convert the waste into
a form suitable for
transport, storage or final
disposal.

 Examples of conditioning:
 compaction
 incorporation into matrices
(such as concrete)
 repackaging damaged
containers
Secondary Waste Treatment

 Pretreatment, treatment or conditioning of

radioactive wastes usually generates secondary
wastes.

 Secondary wastes are often of a nature similar

to the primary wastes and, can be treated and
conditioned by the same methods.

 In some instances, the secondary wastes may

be quite unique (e.g. incineration ash) and may
be required a different treatment.
Radioactive Waste Treatment : Incineration

Combustible
waste

HEPA
Ceramic filter
filters

incinerator
Mist
separator
Monitor
Scrubber

Incinerator Exhaust
ash filter
 Interim Storage
 Interim storage facilities are generally required at
the disposal facility because:
 It might not always be possible to emplace all
waste immediately it received.

 Spent radiation sources may contain short-lived

radionuclides; these materials should be stored
for decay until they are suitable for disposal.

 The repository operations may need time to

plan and implement special procedures with
approvals from the regulatory authorities, for
disposal.
Temporary Storage
 Waste Disposal
Disposal is the final step in the radioactive
waste management system.

The emplacement of waste in an approved,

specified facility (for example, near surface or
geological repository) without intention of
retrieval.

The disposal of radioactive waste is a new

problem as a result of increasing use of
radioactive materials.
Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive
Waste Interim-Storage Facility in Bangladesh

 The facility at Atomic

Energy Research
Establishment (AERE),
Savar has been
implemented under
Annual Development
Programme of the
country and IAEA
technical cooperation
project.
 Objective of the facility
 Safe collection, handling of low and
intermediate level solid and liquid radioactive
wastes (LILW);

 Safe interim-storage of the wastes (non-

conditioned and conditioned);

 Sorting/segregation of solid;

 Processing (pre-treatment, treatment

conditioning) and interim-storage of the
conditioned wastes.
Protective interim-storage
Spent Sealed Source Room
Solid Waste Treatment

Compaction

Sorting/segregation of solid waste

In-drum cement
mixer for radioactive
waste conditioning
at CWPSF
LILW Treatment Plant
LAD (Low Active Drainage) Tank
THANK YOU
Thing to remember

If you ignore the rules, you may

put yourself and others at risk.