Safety concept and criteria for hazardous waste sites

Abstract

The problem of waste disposal in Germany has been solved by using a combination of above-ground and underground disposal. Site selection criteria and precise criteria for the performance assessment of various types of waste disposal are available. In view of long-term safety of disposal, it is necessary to include geological and hydrogeological viewpoints in addition to purely engineering viewpoints. In particular, the geotechnical site-specific safety assessment is described, as defined by the government in “Technical Regulations on Wastes” (TA-Abfall) in the section “Underground Disposal”. This safety assessment must cover the entire system comprising waste, cavern/mine and surrounding rock. For this purpose geo-mechanical models have to be developed. According to the multi-barrier principle, the geological setting must be able to contribute significantly to isolation of the waste over longer periods. The assessment of the integrity of the geological barrier can only be performed by making calculations with validated geomechanical models. Various engineering geological data are required for the selection of a site, for the design and construction of a repository, and for a safety analysis for the post-operational phase. These data can only be attained by the execution of a comprehensive site-specific geomechanical exploration and investigation program. The planning and design of an underground repository in rock salt layers are described, as an example for the various steps of this type of safety assessment.