Model analysis of plasma incineration system of radioactive waste: A case in São Paulo, Brazil

Nuclear waste management represents a challenge due to the hazardous characteristics. The most efficient alternative is to prevent improper disposal, thereby avoiding environmental harm and optimizing the resources needed for transport and storage, which in turn minimizes the associated costs. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the use of plasma technology in waste management for radioactive waste. To understand the impact of implementing a plasma reactor in the radioactive waste management systems, various scenarios were created to analyse the behaviour, particularly in terms of disposal costs for this waste, in this studied case. In light of the present work, the methodology, positive results and analyses may encourage further studies for the development of plasma systems with greater capacity and plasma processes designed to treat low-level radioactive waste. It is essential to acknowledge a limitation in this study, which is the existence of various factors and experimental conditions that can influence the performance of the plasma thermal process. There is also a need for test procedures specifically designed to evaluate the immobilization of radioactive waste.