Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal in Japan and Role of Cementitious Materials

Abstract

Radioactive waste disposal is a very important issue when constructing a sustainable society with nuclear energy. To construct disposal facilities, cementitious materials are used for various purposes, such as structural elements, storage cells, tunnel plugs and engineered barriers. This technical report describes the history and current status of the disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) in Japan, particularly near surface disposal of relatively low-level LLW (L2-LLW) and intermediate depth disposal of relatively high-level LLW (L1-LLW) as two major types of LLW. The classification of radioactive wastes and disposal methods and concept of design and long-term dose assessment are outlined to demonstrate the importance of cementitious materials in nuclear waste management.