Study of Radioactive Waste Management of Nuclear Power Plant: Prospect of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract

The nuclear power plant is required to supply a substantial amount of electricity for a densely populated country like Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh has attached to a commitment to implement the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, and so Bangladesh will be the 33rd nuclear power-producing country after the successful construction of this plant. Bangladesh has planned to construct two power units (Rooppur-1 & Rooppur-2) with a capacity of 1200 MW, each of and is expected to go into operation in 2023. Russian Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation is constructing this nuclear power plant, which is the generation-3+ VVER-1200 model. But the main concern is how a third world country like Bangladesh can handle the tons of radioactive waste of RNNP. Radioactive waste i.e., a variety of solids, liquids, and gases which are produced during the generation of nuclear energy in a nuclear reactor. Depending on activity content, solid and liquid waste are disposed of in near-surface or deep geological facilities, and gaseous waste is dissolved by following some filtering process. If not properly disposed of or recycled, irradiation from radioactive waste will cause major problems for the environment. Various stages should be required for the removal of a tremendous amount of radioactive waste in a cost-effective way. This paper mainly delineates the proximate of radioactive waste management of RNNP and gives an account of (1) Radioactivity and radiation level, (2) Classification, (3) Treatment of solid, liquid and gaseous radioactive waste, (4) Reprocessing and packaging, (5) Storage and (6) Disposal.