Radioactive waste disposal poses an ongoing challenge for Member States using nuclear technologies. However, several options are available to immobilise waste resulting from nuclear fuel reprocessing. One of these is vitrification - a mature technology which has been used for high-level nuclear waste immobilization for over 50 years. The IAEA supports Member States that embark on vitrification by providing best practices, expertise and solutions drawn from the Agency’s accumulated experience.
Argentinia is considering vitrification as a viable option for dealing with its high-level nuclear waste. The Argentine National Programme for Radioactive Waste Management aims to build capacities to implement vitrification processes for radioactive waste with the support of the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme[1]. As part of this initiative, an IAEA training course on ‘Implementation of Nuclear Wastes Vitrification Technologies’ has been held from 20 to 24 February 2017 at the Centro Atómico Baroliche in San Carlos de Bariloche.
The training was provided by both international and local experts, including Michael Ojovan from the IAEA, Ian Pegg from the Catholic University of America (US), Russel Hand from the University of Sheffield (UK) and Nicholas Gribble from the Nuclear National Laboratory (UK). Expertise was also provided by local experts Miguel Oscar Prado, Diego Russo, Arturo Bevilacqua, Diana Lago and others.
Over the five day training course, the participants discussed both international experience and local approaches in utilising the most advanced thermal techniques to safely immobilise radioactive waste and ensure its future safe disposal.
The National Atomic Energy Commission’s (CNEA) Nuclear Materials Department at Centro Atomico Bariloche is making good progress in investigating the latest technologies in radioactive waste immobilization. A series of activities, including training for fellows and young scientists and the conduct of scientific visits, together with technological activities including experiments in glass formulation, will be conducted in cooperation with the IAEA and national universities. Centro Atomico Bariloche will also continue extensive sets of self-funded process tests.
