Using microorganisms to process liquid radioactive wastes

Kurchatov Institute, Russian Scientific Center. Microbiology Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 74, No. 2, pp. 123-127, February, 1993.     

Gas release from deeply buried liquid radioactive wastes

The results of a generalization and analysis of data accumulated over a period of 40 years on the actual gas release from injected wells in test areas for underground disposal of liquid wastes with various levels of activity from the Siberian Integrated Chemical Plant and the Zheleznogorskii Integrated Mining and Chemical Plant are presented. It is concluded that in order to extend the operation of the test areas beyond the prescribed time limits the presence of a gas phase in the reservoir formations, formed over the period during which they were actively used, must be taken into account carefully. The investigations should be extended to the problem of gas release and priority must be given to determining the contribution of the different components of this process and investigating their mechanisms and to developing a mathematical model of gas release and a computer program to predict the development in order to ensure safe operation of the areas used to test underground disposal. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 100, No. 1, pp. 45–50, January, 2005.     

The thermal factor in the problem of inserting radioactive wastes into mineral deposits

The disposal of liquid radioactive wastes of radiochemical industry establishments is a complicated problem. One of the possible solutions of the problem now being considered is the insertion of the wastes into deep formations of the earth's crust. As a result of the radiation from the wastes, heat is generated and the temperature of the surrounding medium is increased, thus producing the problem of determining the temperature to which the medium is heated.The present article gives the results of an investigation of the temperature field when wastes are inserted into a porous water-bearing level, the derivation of a formula for calculating the temperature rise, and results of a numerical calculation and graphs of the temperature field for one of the examples.     

Physicochemical and biological monitoring of deep repositories for liquid radioactive wastes

The objective of this work was to study the physicochemical conditions and the microbiological composition of underground water in the second level of the Severnyi site at the Mining and Chemical Works and to clarify the possibility of biogenic gas production by formation microflora from macrocomponents of the wastes (nitrates and sulfate ions). Chemical analysis of samples of formation liquid from wells located in the dispersion zone of the wastes showed an increase in the content of dissolved carbonic acid, sodium nitrate, and nitrates of radionuclides and an increase of their concentrations in the sampling part. In all other samples, the contents of the main cations and anions were close to the background values. Microbiological investigations showed an increase in the number of microorganisms capable of forming gases from possible macrocomponents of the wastes and in the rate of sulfate reduction and methane generation processes within the propagation boundary of the wastes. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 103, No. 2, pp. 106–112, August, 2007.     

Development of a unified technological process for cementing liquid radioactive wastes

The possibility of cementing liquid wastes with different compositions by a unified method is examined. Methods of cementing are studied in order to determine the similarity of the parameters for preparing the cement solution under the conditions of reliable (accident free) execution of the technological process. The possibility of using a unified composition for the cement mixture and the type of equipment that permits the maximum incorporation of different wastes in the final product meeting the regulations is determined.