Methods and concerns in disposal of nuclear waste from storage vials post recovery

Plutonium in the form of oxide is stored in plastic vials and bottles during its analysis for trace metal assay. Due to radiation damage and moisture, small amount of oxide samples were found to be adhering to surface of vials/bottles. This required methods for safe disposal. Methods involving wet chemical and dry cleaning procedures were evaluated for effective removal of sticking α active plutonium oxide powder from these vials for their safe disposal. Dry cleaning method for removal of plutonium activity was found to be effective method for disposal of storage vial, while wet chemical method was found to be more suitable for removal of plutonium from damaged PVC bottles. The recovered Pu was checked for chemical purity for 24 analytes using glove box adopted high resolution inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.