Abstract
ABSTRACTRadiocarbon (14C) is one of the key radionuclides for the performance and safety assessment of a radioactive waste disposal, due to its high activity concentration in waste materials from the nuclear cycle and to its mobility. The measurement of the 14C content in spent ion exchange resins from nuclear reactors is important for the safety assessment of the disposal concept and for the choice of the appropriate treatment/disposal method. Ion exchange resins are commonly used in nuclear reactors as filters for the purification of process liquids or wastes streams and they retain molecules containing radioactive isotopes, among which is 14C. Their efficiency, both as filters and as waste containers, is strictly connected with the morphology. The preservation of spherical shape upon aging is one of the key parameters for their quality assessment and for the evaluation of the potential release of 14C during storage conditions. In this study, the change in IERs morphology during storage periods has been investigated in order to verify correlation with 14C release. Both brand new and aged specimens have been studied in order to assess the quality of the resins after 10 yr of storage and to contribute to the understanding of 14C release mechanisms.
Highlights
In several reference cases of disposal systems envisaged by waste management organizations, radiocarbon (14C) is one of the most important contributors to the dose (Johnson and Schwyn 2008)
The measurement of the 14C content in spent ion exchange resins from nuclear reactors is important for the safety assessment of the disposal concept and for the choice of the appropriate treatment/disposal method
The work-package 4 of the project CAST dealt with one specific type of radioactive wastes containing 14C: Ion Exchange Resins (IERs)
Summary
In several reference cases of disposal systems envisaged by waste management organizations, radiocarbon (14C) is one of the most important contributors to the dose (Johnson and Schwyn 2008). The FP7 EURATOM project CAST (CArbon-14 Source Term) aimed to develop understanding of the potential release mechanisms of 14C from radioactive waste materials under conditions relevant to waste packaging and disposal to underground geological disposal facilities. The objectives of the CAST project were to gain new scientific understanding of the rate of release of 14C from the nuclear waste and the results will be evaluated in the context of national safety assessments and disseminated to interested stakeholders. The work-package 4 of the project CAST dealt with one specific type of radioactive wastes containing 14C: Ion Exchange Resins (IERs). The surfaces of the polymer filaments are functionalized by chemical groups, which adsorb selectively anions or cations and exchange them with other ions, depending on the nature of their functional groups, resulting in a selective sequestration of components from the solution
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