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Reprocessing Waste Issues

Development of Regulations for 

Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Facilities

REGULATORY GAPS 

DISCUSSED IN THIS 

SECTION: 

9 Gap 2 – Independent 

Storage of High-Level 

Waste 

9 Gap 3 - Waste 

Incidental to 

Reprocessing 

9 Gap 16 – Waste 

Classification 

Implementation of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing in the US will likely require changes in 

the current regulatory framework for the management of domestic nuclear waste. 

Although reprocessing has the potential to significantly reduce the domestic inventory of 

spent nuclear fuel, the processes and methods used in these facilities may generate 

waste streams that could be different, both in types and amounts, than those currently 

generated by existing US nuclear facilities. Accordingly, NRC is evaluating the current 

waste management regulatory framework to determine if revisions to existing nuclear 

waste regulations are necessary. 

NRC REGULATIONS FOR WASTE 

MANAGEMENT 

Radioactive wastes are the remnants from the 

use of nuclear materials in nuclear reactors, 

nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and other uses, 

including medical and industrial applications. 

Certain types of radioactive wastes are subject 

to regulatory oversight by the NRC or State 

agencies. 

NRC regulations classify radioactive waste 

among the following categories: 

• Low-level waste (LLW) – the lowest of 

NRC’s waste categories. Low-level waste 

can be further classified as Class A, Class 

B, or Class C waste. 

• Greater than Class C waste - waste that 

exceeds the limits of Class C low-level 

waste specified in NRC regulations. 

• High-level waste – consists of highly 

radioactive spent nuclear fuel, and other 

radioactive waste materials remaining after 

reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. 

Low-Level Waste 

Most LLW consist of lightly contaminated 

equipment protective clothing, tools, filters, 

rags, medical tubes, and others. NRC 

regulations establish a waste classification 

system for LLW based on its potential 

hazards, and specifies disposal and waste 

form requirements for each of the general 

classes of waste. Class A waste is the least 

radioactive and Class C is the most 

radioactive; approximately 95% of LLW is 

Class A. For disposal, LLW is typically 

placed in containers and disposed in landfilllike facilities specifically authorized for this 

purpose. The disposal depth and degree of 

isolation generally required for LLW 

increases with the radioactivity of the waste. 

Class A waste requires shallower depths, 

whereas Class B and C are buried 

progressively deeper, with stricter isolation 

requirements. Class C wastes also require 

an engineered intruder barrier. 

Greater than Class C Waste (GTCC) 

 Waste that exceeds the limits of Class C 

waste is classified as GTCC. Most GTCC 

waste consists of sealed sources, activated 

metal wastes from reactor internal 

components, and other waste containing 

transuranic elements. Federal Law assigned 

the Department of Energy (DOE) the 

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monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility, 

which can only be operated by DOE. 

Currently, NRC regulations do not allow 

independent storage of commercially 

reprocessed waste. However, in the 

absence of a geologic repository, any future 

commercial reprocessing facility will need 

interim storage capacity for reprocessing 

wastes. The NRC will consider options for 

authorizing the safe interim storage of 

commercial waste from reprocessing 

facilities, including the option of onsite 

storage at the reprocessing facility, or at a 

commercial independent storage facility. 

WASTE INCIDENTAL TO REPROCESSING

Reprocessing operations create certain 

waste streams for which NRC currently does 

not have definitions, and therefore, no 

applicable requirements for their safe 

handling and disposal. The NRC identifies 

these waste streams as incidental to 

reprocessing. Examples of incidental wastes 

include tank residues, chopped and leached 

fuel hulls, and irradiated fuel hardware, 

among others. However, in the past, some of 

the performance objectives found in NRC 

LLW regulations have been used to 

evaluate DOE wastes, consistent with 

Congressional direction. The NRC will rely 

on this experience to consider similar 

criteria that are applicable to commercial 

reprocessing wastes. 

WASTE CLASSIFICATION 

NRC LLW classification tables in 10 CFR 

61.55 include many radionuclides that 

would be present in commercial 

reprocessing waste streams. Based on 

these tables, NRC regulations establish 

specific disposal requirements for these 

radionuclides. However, the types and 

quantities of these radionuclides in some 

reprocessing waste streams may be too 

large, and the type of disposal required by 

current regulation may not be sufficient. 

The NRC will consider if additional 

restrictions on its disposal may be 

necessary to ensure adequate protection 

of public health and safety. 

Reprocessing Waste Issues

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responsibility for disposal of GTCC. 

Currently, there is no facility for the 

permanent disposal of GTCC. 

High-Level Waste 

High-level wastes take one of two forms: 

spent nuclear fuel, and reprocessing 

wastes. Reprocessing wastes consist of 

the liquid and solid waste byproducts 

(containing significant concentrations of 

fission products and transuranic isotopes) 

that remain after spent fuel is reprocessed. 

High-level waste contains longer-lived 

radionuclides that require isolation for 

hundreds to thousands of years. In 

accordance with current Federal law, highlevel waste must be permanently disposed 

in a deep geologic repository. 

Until a repository is available, spent 

nuclear fuel is safely stored at nuclear 

reactor sites, or in NRC-licensed 

independent storage facilities. Spent fuel 

is stored in either storage pools (wet 

storage), or dry storage casks. Both 

storage methods are safe and ensure that 

spent fuel will be protected until a 

repository is available for permanent 

disposal. 

INDEPENDENT STORAGE OF 

REPROCESSING HIGH-LEVEL WASTE 

NRC regulations in 10 CFR Part 72 

establish the requirements for the 

independent storage of spent nuclear fuel 

and high-level waste. The storage of highlevel waste is only authorized in a 

Figure 1: Approximate material balances for a 1,000 metric ton reprocessing facility, using 

modern PUREX technology (Source: ACNW&M, 179th Meeting, May 16, 2007)