Handling of low-level wastes at the Siberian Chemical Works

Safety codes require that open surface disposal sites for liquid low-level wastes at radiochemical works be closed down. At the Siberian Chemical Works, the first operation was to stop the flow of wastes into the pulp repository. The presence of burial sites predetermined the choice of precisely this method as an alternative for dumping wastes into open disposal sites. The results of a study of the physicochemical characteristics of the wastes flowing into the pulp repository PKh-1,2 from four plants at the Works made it possible to develop a unified scheme for preparing them for disposal -- wastes are put into a deep repository and maximum use is made of the individual properties of reprocessed wastes, which decreases the consumption of additional reagents substantially, i.e., it decreases the cost of the preparation process. The scheme developed has successfully passed commercial prototype tests and is now in the design stage.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]