We conducted safety assessments for the disposal of spent resin mixed waste after the removal of beta radionuclides (3H, 14C) in a landfill facility. The spent resin tank of Wolsong nuclear power plant is generated by 8:1:1 weight ratio of spent ion exchange resin, spent activated carbon and zeolite. Waste in the spent resin tank was classified as intermediate-level radioactive waste due to 14C. Other nuclides such as 60Co and 137Cs exhibit below the low-level radioactive waste criteria. The techniques for separating mixed waste and capturing 14C have been under development, with a particular focus on microwave-based methods to remove beta radionuclides (3H, 14C) from spent activated carbon and spent resin within the mixed waste. The spent resin and activated carbon within the waste mixture exhibits microwave reactivity, heated when exposed to microwaves. This technology serves as a means to remove beta isotopes within the spent resin, particularly by eliminating 14C, allowing it to meet the low-level radioactive waste criteria. Using this method, the waste mixture can meet disposal requirements through free water and 3H removal. These assessments considered the human intrusion scenarios and were carried out using the RESRAD-ONSITE code. The institutional management period after facility closure is set at 300 years, during which accidental exposures resulting from human intrusion into the disposal site are accounted for. The assessment of radiation exposure to intruders in a landfill facility included six human intrusion scenarios, such as the drilling scenario, road construction scenario, post-drilling scenario, and post-construction scenario. Among the six human intrusion scenarios considered, the most conservative assessment about annual radiation exposure was the post-drilling scenario. In this scenario, human intrusion occurs, followed by drilling and residence on the site after the institutional management period. We assumed that some of the vegetables and fruits grown in the area may originate from contaminated regions. Importantly, we confirmed that radiation doses resulting from post-institutional management period human intrusion scenarios remain below 0.1 mSv/y, thus complying with the annual dose limits for the public. This research underscores the importance of effectively managing and securing radioactive waste, with a specific focus on the safety of beta radionuclide-removed waste during long-term disposal, even in the face of potential human intrusion scenarios beyond the institutional management period.

In nuclear power plant, there were many contaminated tanks dispose of radioactive fluid waste. These tanks are made of stainless-steel, and corrosion can occur when tanks are exposed to radioactive fluid waste containing moisture for a long time. Therefore, those sludge waste including radionuclide should be collected, solidified, and disposed of. If sludge can be melted, sludge can be easily solidified. However, melting points of sludge components (Fe2O3, NiO, Cr2O3) are very high as 1565, 1955, and 2435 , respectively. Therefore, melting sludge is difficult. If a solidification auxiliary material such as cement or asphalt is used to help solidify, solidification can easily occur, but cement and asphalt are vulnerable to heat. Vitrification using glass material can be solidification method, but the waste loading ratio of glass material is higher than 50%. High waste loading ratio is weakness in terms of volume reduction of waste. In this study, ferro frit powder (Na2O, K2O, CaO, Al2O3, B2O3, SiO2, ZnO) is used as solidification auxiliary material. When ferro frit powder mixed with sludge material are melted in sludge material, melted ferro frit powder can stick sludge material and can solidify sludge material without melting. Sludge can be solidified by using ferro frit powder with a smaller waste loading ratio than the vitrification method. However, since the waste loading ratio of the solidification auxiliary material is small, if ferro frit powder is not uniformly distributed between sludge powder, solidification may not be performed properly. Although the mixing ratio between sludge and ferro frit in solidified sludge is same, when the distribution of ferro frit powder in sludge is non-homogeneous, the difference in chemical and physical characteristics as compressive strength and leaching resistance can be observed in solidified sludge. As the ferro frit mixing ratio in the site where ferro frit exists was relatively high, the melting point of the mixed powder (sludge+ferro frit) decreased, and the mixed powder could not maintain its shape and melted. In the case of the area where ferro frit does not exist, since only the stainless-steel oxide sludge exists, sludge was not melted, and the shape was maintained. However, it was confirmed that the leaching resistance was lowered by visually observing the color change of the leachate within a short period of time (about 2 hours) when solidified sludge was immersed in the leachate.

The optimum vitrification conditions of the radioactive waste using high-temperature furnace and HIP (Hot Isostatic Press) were studied for the successful reduction of the solidification volume, radioactive level, satisfying the disposal criteria such as leaching rate and compressive strength. Vitrification is receiving attention for the solidification disposal of intermediate and low-level radioactive wastes for its chemical-physical stability and leachability. Its principle is to trap the radioactive material in a fixed structure of the glass type materials, such as Boron Trioxide, Silicon Dioxide and Phosphorus Pentoxide. Sludge targeted in this study is assembly of materials while sludge is stored in the stainless-steel tank before disposal, which consists of Fe3O4 (14.9wt%), Fe2O3 (3.8wt%), and Cr2O3 (6.3wt%), cement paste (25wt%) and detergent/shower sludge (50wt%). The detergent/shower sludge generated from the washing the clothes that were worn during the work at the laboratory and nuclear power plant contains organic materials that are vulnerable to chemical reactions, therefore, immobilization of organic material by the incinerating step, which can also immobilize the radioactive substance, was applied. Its composition – containing Cs-133 and Co-59 substitution for Cs-134 and Co-60 that are radioactive – was analyzed by XRD before and after the mineralization of the sludge using high temperature furnace in different temperature, to identify the remaining element and the features of the mineralized sludge. Targeted sludge was vitrificated using Hot Isostatic Press in with different pressure and temperature conditions, to find out the optimum vitrification conditions. Vitrificated waste was evaluated in many aspects - leaching evaluation following ANS16.1, compressive strength evaluation of 3.44 MPa (waste disposal criteria), volume reduction before and after the sequence.

The mixing powder of vitrification material and metallic oxide sludge was solidified by hot isostatic press method and was tested to check whether the solidified waste disposal acceptance criteria were met or not. From various contaminated tank in nuclear power plants, and other nuclear energy facilities, radioactive sludge based on metallic oxide can be generated. The most of tank consist of stainless steel can be oxidated by the long-term exposure on oxygen and moisture, and then can be made sludge layer based on metallic oxide on the inner wall of contaminated tank. Radioactive sludge waste should be solidified and disposed. Melting and hardening is the most basic method for solidification. The melting points of metallic oxide of stainless steel as Fe3O4, NiO, Cr2O3 are 1597, 1955, 2435, respectively. Those are very high temperature. To melt these metallic oxides, a furnace capable of raising the temperature to a very high temperature is required, which requires a lot of thermal energy, which may lead to an increase in disposal cost. Therefore, it is necessary to lower the melting point and solidify non-melted metallic oxide powder by adding vitrifying material powder as Na2O, SiO2, B2O3. The more vitrification material is added, the easier it is to solidify the sludge based on metallic powder at a low temperature, but there is a problem in that the total waste volume increases due to the addition of vitrification material. In this study, the mixing ratio and temperature conditions that can fix the sludge while adding a minimum amount of vitrification material will be confirmed. Mixing ratio conditions of the vitrification material and sludge powder are 10:90, 15:85, 20:80, 25:75. To fix the metallic oxide sludge by melting only the vitrification material without completely melting the metallic oxide, compression by external pressure is required. Therefore, the HIP (Hot Isostatic Pressing) method was used to solidify the metallic oxide sludge by simultaneously heating and pressurizing it. Because the softening points of most of vitrification based on Na2O, SiO2, B2O3 are ranged from 800 to 1000, temperature conditions are 800, 900, 1000. Since the compressive strength for disposing of the solidified materials was 3.4 MPa, the maximum pressure condition was set to 5000 psi (about 34 MPa), which is 10 times 3.4 MPa. And optimal mixing ratio, temperature, pressure conditions that meet the solidified waste disposal acceptance criteria will be found.