WNE 2025 - Workshop CURIUM

Waste with dual radiological & chemical constraints, complex and without immediate disposal long storage – how to manage them?

The management of historical & complicated wastes, often little known and combining radiological & chemical constraints, requires specific expertise. Stored for long periods while awaiting solutions, with limited or no input data, they are often kept in temporary conditions with degraded packaging.

Made up of exotic, multiphase, heterogeneous, and sometimes active matrices that make their characterization difficult, the management of such wastes requires advanced and specialized technical skills, combining both radiological and chemical expertise. It also demands access to a dedicated, licensed testing laboratory for radioactive waste, as well as strong analytical and chemical process know-how, in order to make this type of waste acceptable for suitable disposal.

Several key steps are essential for the comprehensive management of these wastes, such as:

• Initial data studies and investigations, with in-situ and/or ex-situ radiological and chemical measurements as close as possible to the waste;

• Mastery of the chemical and radiological substances present, and of their reactions within the waste environment and its characteristics;

• The ability to secure the waste with respect to the chemical and radiological risks for people and the environment;

• Performing representative sampling in complex environments (radioactive, chemical, degraded or leaking containers…);

• Having the necessary in-situ and in-lab analytical capabilities to adapt to the storage conditions and constraints, which can sometimes make transfer to external laboratories difficult;

• Conducting laboratory analyses on varied and complex matrices (powdery materials, organic/multiphase liquids, highly contaminated samples, etc.);

• Understanding the requirements and expectations of disposal/storage facilities, ensuring continuous dialogue between the waste producer and the disposal outlet, as well as compliance with the full regulatory framework related to such waste and the environment;

• Neutralizing and stabilizing the waste, when necessary, to ensure chemical/radiological compliance according to their nature and characteristics;

• Finally, conditioning the waste according to disposal route specifications in a nuclear context, up until its acceptance.

Gaining a better understanding of historical & complex wastes without immediate disposal long storage (DSFI), under this dual chemical/radiological constraint, and contributing to their acceptance in disposal solutions, is a major challenge today. The goal is to streamline, reduce, and improve the evacuation and treatment of this waste category, which is too often left aside.

We will share our feedback and concrete case studies on the complex management of such wastes, as well as the human and technical resources we have developed to find solutions. You will discover how CURIUM has been able to bring its chemical and radiological expertise to serve the nuclear industry in addressing complex, multi-risk waste.


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