Techniques for Dealing with the Hazardous Radioactive Wastes Literature review

Techniques for Dealing with the Hazardous Radioactive Wastes Literature review Techniques for Dealing with the Hazardous Radioactive Wastes â€" Literature review Example > The paper “ Techniques for Dealing with the Hazardous Radioactive Wastes”   is a convincing example of a literature review on environmental studies. Hazardous wastes are litters or materials with a chemical makeup that is capable of triggering considerable and possible threats to not only public health but also the environment when mishandled or discharged into the surroundings. Hazardous wastes or materials may be solids, liquids, sludges, or contained gases. Alternatively; they can also be by-products of the manufacturing processes or discarded commercial products, such as pesticides or cleaning fluids. According to Streffer et. al (2011), typical hazardous wastes are known to display at least one of the four hazardous characteristics, including toxicity, ignitability, corrosively, and reactivity. This particular paper will comprehensively discuss radioactive waste as one type of hazardous waste. In addition, the paper will discuss the techniques for dealing with this type of waste or one method of treating radioactive waste as a hazardous waste. Above all, the paper will highlight the advantages/problems of the method. Detailed Discussion of the Radioactive WasteRadioactive wastes are simply wastes or materials that have radioactive materials. They are normally a by-product of wastes generated from the process of nuclear power generation as well as other activities that involve the use of nuclear technology or nuclear fission, including medicine, agriculture, industry, and nuclear research. As noted by Andrews (2011), radioactive wastes are harmful not only to a great number of living organisms but also to the environment. Radioactive wastes naturally contain various radionuclides, which refers to the unstable disposition of components that decay, discharging ionizing radiation that can pose significant harm to human beings and the environment. The isotopes release various types of radiation levels that last for numerous years. All the radionuclides found within the radioactive wastes or materials survive for half-life, which is the time taken by a given substance to be decreased by half owing to decay, and thus, the discharge of radiation. Indeed, while all the radioactive wastes eventually decompose to form non-reactive elements, a selection of radioactive elements, such as the plutonium-239 often remains harmful to not only the life of humans but also other living organisms for hundreds of years. Given this, radioactive wastes are often controlled by various government agencies so as to safeguard the environment and human being health. Techniques for Dealing with the Hazardous Radioactive WastesWhile the European Commission on Energy (2016) notes that, there is no efficient method of dealing with the intermediate as well as the high-level radioactive wastes; low, as well as medium-level radioactive wastes, are increasingly being dealt with. Long-term amassing radioactive waste materials often calls for the stabilization of waste materials into a form that will not only react or degrade for a long period. One of the major techniques being used to deal with hazardous radioactive wastes is through vitrification. As Oh (2001) highlights, vitrification is an acknowledged technique used in the disposal as well as the storage of radioactive wastes. Under this technique, the radioactive wastes are mixed with the glass-forming chemicals within a heating system to develop molten glass, which then solidifies, thus immobilizing the radioactive wastes. In this particular form, the resultant radioactive waste materials are projected to be immobilized for hundreds of years. Presently in Sellafield, England, however, the high-level radioactive waste is mixed up with sugar, and thereafter calcined. According to Great Britain, National Audit Office (2012), the process of calculations entails passing the radioactive waste materials via a heated tube. The major reason for calculations is to allow the water to evaporate from the radioactive waste and to help in achieving the stability of the produced glass.