Boric acid-containing B-10 is used in a nuclear reactor as a coolant and absorbs thermal neutrons generated during nuclear fission in the primary circuit. Boron-containing coolant water waste is generated from maintenance, floor drain, decontamination, and reactor letdown flows. There are two options for aqueous solution waste of boric acid. One is recycling and discharge through filtration, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis. The other is immobilization after evaporation and crystallization processes. The dry powder of boric acid waste liquid can be immobilized by cement, polymer, etc. Before the mid-1990s, concentrated boric acid waste was solidified with a cement matrix. To overcome the disadvantage of low waste loading of cement waste form, a method of solidifying with paraffin was adopted. However, paraffin solids were insufficient to be disposed of as final waste. Paraffin is a kind of soft solidified material and has low compressive strength and poor leaching resistance. As a result, it was decided as an unsuitable form for disposal. In KOREA, paraffin waste form was adopted for boric acid waste treatment in the 1990s. A large amount of paraffin waste forms about 20,000 drums (200 l drum) were generated to treat boric acid waste and were stored in nuclear power sites without disposal. In this study, we want to obtain high-purity boric acid waste by oxidizing and decomposing solid paraffin waste form through a boric acid catalytic reaction. In this reaction, paraffin is separated in the form of various by-products, which can then be treated through a liquid waste treatment device or an exhaust gas treatment device. The proper temperature for sample decomposition during the catalytic reaction was set through TGA analysis. Compositions of by-products and residues generated at each stage of the reaction could be analyzed to determine the state during the reaction. Finally, the boric acid waste powder was perfectly separated from paraffin waste form with disposable products through this pyrolysis process.

가압경수로 원전의 농축폐액건조설비에서 발생된 농축폐액 건조물을 유리화 하는 방안이 연구되어 왔다. 중저준위 방사성폐기물을 유리화할 경우 최종 생성물은 내구성이 우수하고 현저한 부피저감 효과의 장점을 가지고 있다. 붕산농축폐액에 대한 유리화 타당성 연구는 분말시료의 전처리 방법 개발, 유리조성 프로그램을 이용한 유리개발 및 실증시험으로 수행되었다. 분말시료에 대한 전처리 방안으로는 유리화설비에 투입하기 전에 고형성을 갖도록 펠렛화하는 것이다. 농축폐액 성분중 Na와 B의 함량 분포는 유리속에 용융되는 정도와 설비로부터의 폐기물 배출·처리에 영향을 주기 때문에 이를 고려하여 유리조성이 개발되어야 한다. 실증시험에서는 폐기물 투입률, 배기체 특성 및 최종 생성물인 유리고화체의 특성이 검토되었다. 본 연구는 붕산농축폐액에 대한 유리고화체의 물리화학적 특성을 검토하고 유리화 타당성을 확인하는데 목적이 있다.