The volume reduction of low-activity solid wastes. Report of a panel

The accumulation of large volumes of low-level solid radioactive wastes is a matter of concern to waste management authorities, particularly when the wastes are produced close to urban areas. Some of the older and larger nuclear establishments are situated in relatively sparsely populated regions where the problem of dealing with such wastes can even be solved on-site, usually by burial, with little or no pre-treatment. This is the most economical solution. Now, however, increasing amounts of wastes are being produced in more populated areas, and local storage can constitute a hindrance to urban development. It is therefore often necessary to transport the wastes elsewhere; to effect this economically the volume and, if possible, the weight must be reduced, so that the wastes can be transported in regulation packages. The present report is concerned with the methods by which this can be achieved for a large variety of solid materials that accrue as radioactive wastes. It has been compiled largely from information and experience gained at major establishments dealing with large quantities of waste, but articular attention has been paid to the interests of the waste management specialists working at smaller nuclear centres. The manual supplements the guides which have already appeared in IAEA publications series and have dealt with some specific aspect of waste management and, like them, it is oriented in the operational rather than the research direction