One of the largest, most complicated and expensive environmental problems in the United States is the cleanup of nuclear wastes. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has approximately 4,000 contaminated sites covering tens of thousands of acres and replete with contaminated hazardous or radioactive waste, soil, or structures. In addition to high-level waste, it has more than 250,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste and millions of cubic meters of low-level radio-active waste. In addition, DOE is responsible for thousands of facilities awaiting decontamination, decommissioning, and dismantling. DOE and its predecessors have been involved in the management of radioactive wastes since 1943, when such wastes were first generated in significant quantities as by-products of nuclear weapons production. Waste connected with DOE's nuclear weapons complex has been accumulating as a result of various operations spanning over five decades. The cost estimates for nuclear waste cleanup in the United States have been rapidly rising. It has recently been estimated to be in a range from $200 to $350 billion. Costs could vary considerably based on future philosophies as to whether to isolate certain sites (the ""iron fence"" philosophy), or clean them up to a pristine condition (the ""greenfields"" philosophy). Funding will also be based on Congressional action that may reduce environmental cleanup, based on budget considerations.

This book lays a comprehensive foundation for addressing the issue of safety in the lifecycle of nuclear waste. With the focus on the fundamental principles, the book covers key technical approaches to safety in the management of spent nuclear fuel, reprocessed high-level waste, low-level waste, and decommissioning wastes. Behaviors of nuclear waste in natural and engineered systems in relation to safety assessment are also described through the explanation of fundamental processes. For any country involved with the use of nuclear power, nuclear waste management is a topic of grave importance. Although many countries have heavily invested in nuclear waste management, having a successful national program still remains a major challenge. This book offers substantial guidance for those seeking solutions to these problems. As the problem of nuclear waste management is heavily influenced by social factors, the connection between technical and social issues in nuclear waste management is also discussed. The book is a core text for advanced students in nuclear and environmental engineering, and a valuable reference for those working in nuclear engineering and related areas.

One of the largest, most complicated and expensive environmental problems in the United States is the cleanup of nuclear wastes. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has approximately 4,000 contaminated sites covering tens of thousands of acres and replete with contaminated hazardous or radioactive waste, soil, or structures. In addition to high-level waste, it has more than 250,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste and millions of cubic meters of low-level radio-active waste. In addition, DOE is responsible for thousands of facilities awaiting decontamination, decommissioning, and dismantling. DOE and its predecessors have been involved in the management of radioactive wastes since 1943, when such wastes were first generated in significant quantities as by-products of nuclear weapons production. Waste connected with DOE's nuclear weapons complex has been accumulating as a result of various operations spanning over five decades. The cost estimates for nuclear waste cleanup in the United States have been rapidly rising. It has recently been estimated to be in a range from $200 to $350 billion. Costs could vary considerably based on future philosophies as to whether to isolate certain sites (the ""iron fence"" philosophy), or clean them up to a pristine condition (the ""greenfields"" philosophy). Funding will also be based on Congressional action that may reduce environmental cleanup, based on budget considerations.

This book explains the close relationship between chemistry and environmental engineering by covering topics familiar to the environmental engineering discipline. It begins by presenting an overview of general, physical, organic, analytical and colloid chemistry. Next, it focuses on the critical interactions and relationships among the five essential global cycles (envirospheres). These include the lithosphere (minerals and energy sources); the atmosphere; the hydrosphere (water sources); peoosphere (soil) and biosphere.