Origin and characteristics of low-level non-transuranic waste from the nuclear fuel cycle

Low-level non-transuranic wastes are generated in all nuclear fuel cycle operations. While the activity levels and radiotoxicities of these effluents are generally of a lower magnitude than other fuel cycle wastes, their large volumes and their appearance throughout the fuel cycle make their management a very real concern regardless of the fuel cycle option being considered. For the purposes of this paper, low-level non-transuranic wastes are defined as wastes that contain less than about 10 nCi of long-lived alpha radiation per gram and have gamma radiations low enough to require only minimal biological shielding and remote handling. Wastes from uranium mining and milling, UF6 conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, and fuel reprocessing are examined with respect to their radionuclide content, volume, and chemical composition. Projections of total quantities through the end of this century are also presented. Fuel cycles based on recycling only uranium, and on recycling both uranium and plutonium, are considered