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In general terms there are three levels of waste defined, though in practice these are sub-divided as necessary depending on thr nature of the waste.There is also transuranic waste mainly produced from weapons programmes. See the article linked below

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Q: How many general categories are there for radioactive waste?
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What happens to Radioactive waste after?

most radioactive waste is put into special drums that are shipped to a special radioactive waste dump.some of it is concealed in sheets of glass or concrete and put in a place where it wont be touched for many of many years to come this is the most efficient way of doing it.


What creates radioactive waste?

Spent fuel is stored under water because the residual radioactivity of the fission products is still appreciable and has a long half life. If there is any slight damage to the fuel cladding, probably due to corrosion, even a pinhole fault, the water can become contaminated, and it's difficult to clean up.


How much nuclear waste is produced each year?

The radioactive fission products from a nuclear reactor are contained in the spent fuel and they stay there whilst the fuel is stored under water or eventually in concrete flasks. Waste will only be produced if and when the spent fuel is broken down and chemically treated, probably to separate out the U-238 and plutonium, which may be worth doing. The waste is then the proportion which is not useful and it will consist of the fission products, ie a range of different elements and their isotopes, many of which are highly radioactive. This material is highly dangerous to life and must be stored safely for a long time (centuries)


Are some nuclear wastes stored for centuries to prevent dangerous radioactivity from escaping?

Yes. Some radioactive waste, like spent nuclear fuel, remains highly radioactive for thousands of years. Attempts were made to reprocess the spent fuel, but it is extremely dangerous and it is not very cost effective in many cases to do so. There are other forms of radioactive waste generated every day, but we work at being careful about what we generate to avoid having to store it. But the problem with nuclear fuel is a major one. Spent fuel is far and away the major contributor to high level radioactive waste in the world. Consider that 235U and 239Pu are the most common nuclear fuels. When they fission, they leave behind fission products. (The atom of fissile material "split in two" and there are a pair of fission fragments. Different pairs of fragments are possible.) With either fuel, there are over a dozen fission products from the fission process that have a half-life measured in thousands of years. There are a lot of fission products in the spent fuel, they are highly radioactive, and the remain highly radioactive for thousands of years after use. We can't just throw them away.


How many categories are the Grammy Awards divided into?

4 categories 1. Record of the Year 2. Album of the Year 3. Song of the Year 4. Best New ArtistAnswerAbove are the "Big Four" categories. But as of 2015, there are 25 other main categories, and 79 sub-categories.

Related questions

What happens to Radioactive waste after?

most radioactive waste is put into special drums that are shipped to a special radioactive waste dump.some of it is concealed in sheets of glass or concrete and put in a place where it wont be touched for many of many years to come this is the most efficient way of doing it.


What usually happens to radioactive waste?

most radioactive waste is put into special drums that are shipped to a special radioactive waste dump.some of it is concealed in sheets of glass or concrete and put in a place where it wont be touched for many of many years to come this is the most efficient way of doing it.


How does half life of radioactive waste affect the type of container in which the waste will be stored?

The longer the half-life of radioactive waste, the more consideration will have to be given to the design and construction of the container in which it is stored. This as well as where the container itself is stored. If we look at spent fuel from nuclear reactors, this highly radioactive and extremely long-lived radioactive waste will have to have a most substantial container. The storage container will have to last for many hundreds of years. Low level radioactive waste can be put up in less substantial containers and simply buried in an approved manner at an approved facility.


How does the half-life of a radioactive waste affect the types of container in which the waste will be stored?

The longer the half-life of radioactive waste, the more consideration will have to be given to the design and construction of the container in which it is stored. This as well as where the container itself is stored. If we look at spent fuel from nuclear reactors, this highly radioactive and extremely long-lived radioactive waste will have to have a most substantial container. The storage container will have to last for many hundreds of years. Low level radioactive waste can be put up in less substantial containers and simply buried in an approved manner at an approved facility.


What is the problem with plants is they have radioactive waste which isvery poisonous to living things?

Nuclear fuels plants all pose a problem because they have radioactive waste which is very poisonous to living things. Many of these plants leak into ground water, or purposely discharge into oceans or seas.


What are the effects of biodegradable waste?

There are many effects of biodegradable waste including less waste in garbage dumps. This means the Earth will have less waste in general.


Where would be the best location for a radioactive waste storage facility?

It depends. Radioactive Waste emitting Alpha particles could be stored in drums within a secure area, since Alpha particles can be stopped by a sheet of paper. Radioactive Waste emitting Beta particles can also be stored in drums within a secure area, since Beta particles can be stopped by a sheet of tin. Radioactive Waste particles emitting Gamma rays require many feet of dense lead in order to stop the radiation. These wastes are generally stored within secure areas underground, or remote areas away from highly populated areas.


What is the process of eliminating metabolic waste products from body called?

The process of getting rid of waste materials is called excreting. There are many forms of excreting which are then split into many other different categories.


What are the hardware categories required in general purpose computers?

The hardware categories required in general purpose computers are quite a number. The very basic ones include processor, RAM, keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive and many more.


Can radioactive waste be dumped into volcanoes?

This sounds a very bad idea, volcanoes erupt sometimes and would spew it out again. Even volcanoes that have not erupted for many years may do within the lifetime of the nuclear activity of the waste


What creates radioactive waste?

Spent fuel is stored under water because the residual radioactivity of the fission products is still appreciable and has a long half life. If there is any slight damage to the fuel cladding, probably due to corrosion, even a pinhole fault, the water can become contaminated, and it's difficult to clean up.


How can a radioactive substance can be made safe?

It needs to be kept somewhere secure to decay, this can take many years for high level waste, or a few months for low level