That amount of waste will produce about 37 million curies of radioactivity. Currently, GTCC waste must be stored by NRC licensees in compliance with an existing general or specified NRC license held by the licensee. However, as referenced above, the NRC is currently initiating a regulatory action that would allow licensees to store GTCC waste at an independent spent fuel storage installation. Since no GTCC waste is currently being disposed of, most treatment technologies are aimed at volume reduction and preparation for storage. Spent Nuclear Fuel that has been discharged from a reactor after irradiation contains fission radionuclides with much higher radioactivity levels than the radionuclides found in other waste forms, including GTCC waste.
Most fission products have short half-lives and therefore quickly decay.
When generated, HLW is a highly radioactive, acidic liquid that generates heat and must be handled remotely behind heavy shielding in corrosion-resistant vessels, usually made out of stainless steel. Various processes have been utilized to convert HLW into other forms. Special Case Waste Volumes DOE has identified certain waste as Special Case Waste. Special Case Waste is defined as radioactive waste owned or generated by DOE that does not fit into typical management plans developed for the major radioactive waste types such as HLW, LLW, or TRU waste. For example, it is LLW that, because of its high radioactivity levels, cannot currently be disposed of at existing DOE LLW disposal facilities without exceeding performance standards and TRU waste that cannot meet geologic disposal acceptance criteria.