Waste Technology Section
Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste
Photo courtesy: COVRA
Depending on the origin, radioactive waste can occur in different physical state (solid, liquid, gas) and can have a variety of characteristics such as activity levels and half-lives of the radionuclides present in the waste. In the life cycle of radioactive waste, disposal is the final step. Before final disposal, the waste usually goes through a number of steps such as pretreatment, treatment, conditioning, storage and transport. Predisposal management encompasses all of these steps that collectively cover the activities from waste generation up to final disposal. Characterization of waste is also an essential predisposal activity that is common to all of the steps above.
IAEA's Assistance to Member States
The Waste Technology Section's assistance covers a wide range of predisposal management topics such as policy and strategy, inventory assessment, analysis of costing and waste management economics, waste minimization, selection of technical options for waste processing and storage, improvement in operating practices at nuclear facilities, optimization of waste management infrastructure, development of technologies etc. Besides the LABONET network, the assistance is delivered through: