IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

Management of Radioactive Residues from Mining,

Mineral Processing, and other NORM related Activities

(DS459)

- Revision of Management of Radioactive Waste from the Mining and Milling of Ores (WS-G-1.2)

Zhiwen Fan

Waste and Environmental Safety Section

Department of Nuclear Safety and Security

IAEA

Outline

• Background

• Major revisions

• Challenges

• Summary

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Background and rational 1/4

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• WS-G-1.2: Management of Radioactive Waste

from the Mining and Milling of Ores (2002),

• Focus on mining and milling uranium and thorium

ores

• Apply primarily to new facilities,

• Address strategy and protocols for the siting,

design, construction, operation and closure of

facilities

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Background and rational 2/4

• Activities are required by MSs related to NORM residues

• International Peer Reviews.

• IAEA TC Projects.

• International Forum on Regulatory Supervision of Legacy Sites (RSLS)

• Newcomers and model regulations for uranium production.

• Safety standards have had significant change since 2002.

• Quite a few supporting documents are at a mature stage of development.

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Background and rational 3/4

• Growing understanding to NORM residues

• Symposia series

• Amsterdam, Netherlands 1997 Krefeld, Germany 1998 (NORM II) Brussels, Belgium 2001(NORM III) Szczyrk, Poland 2004 (NORM IV) Seville, Spain 2007 (NORM V) Marrakesh, Morocco 2010 (NORM VI)

• Beijing, China, 22-26 April 2013 (NORM VII), www.norm7.org

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Background and rational 4/4

• General Conference Resolutions 2008:

• “Encourages the Secretariat to continue its efforts to develop safety guidance for management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM)

• WASSC 31 (June 2011) Concluded that:

• WS-G-1.2 is to be revised at the light of the

new requirements and developments.

• DPP was prepared in September 2011

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• Proposed title: Management of Radioactive

Residues from Mining, Mineral Processing,

and other NORM related Activities

• Scope:

• radioactive residues that arise from mining, and

milling of ores for the extraction of uranium or

thorium,

• and to other industries including mining and

processing of other ores, the oil and gas

industry and the phosphate industry.

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Major revisions to SG – Title and Scope

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• Recommendations and guidance to

• Regulatory bodies,

• Operating organizations,

• Technical support organizations,

• and other interested parties

• on safe management of radioactive residues

arising from the mining, milling other NORM

related activities

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Major revisions to SG - Audience

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Major revisions to SG

• Life cycle guidance on the site selection and evaluation and design of management facilities, and on their construction, operation and closure, decommissioning and termination, including organizational and regulatory requirements.

• Guidance on the development of a safety case and safety assessment for NORM residues, as required by GSR-4.

• Principally directed towards the management of residues generated by new facilities. It may not be practical to apply all of these recommendations to existing facilities.

• Certain non-radiological characteristics of the residues may pose significant hazards and risks.

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Major revisions to SG – Inter-relations

• The SG will be based on the Safety Fundamentals and the

relevant Safety Requirements that are found principally in

the following safety standards:

• Fundamental Safety Principles (SF-1)

• Governmental, Legal and Regulatory Framework for Safety (GSR-1)

• Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources, International

Basic Safety Standards 2011 Edition (GSR-3)

• Safety Assessment for Facilities and Activities (GSR-4)

• Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste (GSR-5)

• Disposal of Radioactive Waste (SSR-5)

• Supersedes: To revise, expand and supersede:

“Management of Radioactive Waste from the Mining and

Milling of Ores” (No. WS-G-1.2)

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Proposed Table of Content for the New SG

1. INTRODUCTION

2. PROTECTION OF PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

3. ADMINISTRATIVE, LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

4. STRATEGY FOR RESIDUE MANAGEMENT

5. SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS IN LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUES

6. SAFETY ASSESSMENT and SAFETY CASE

7. MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

8. MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE

9. FINANCIAL ASSURANCE

REFERENCES

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Key schedules

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1. Uranium mining and processing

2. Rare earths extraction

3. Thorium extraction & use

4. Niobium extraction

5. Non-U mining – incl. radon

6. Oil and gas

7. TiO2

8. Phosphates

9. Zircon & zirconia

10. Metals production (Sn, Cu, Al, Fe, Zn, Pb)

11. Burning of coal etc.

12. Water treatment – incl. radon

Challenges – Scope of NORM residues

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• Definition of NORM residue

• Criteria to identify NORM residue

• Process to identify NORM residue

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Challenges – Scope of NORM residues

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• Graded entry of facility and activity

• Graded clearance

• What are indicators to grade NORM residue?

• What is the criteria of the indicator to grade?

• Indicators: activity concentration of the material,

surface dose of the materials, dose of the working

environment, dose to the worker, dose to the

public

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Challenges – Graded approach

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Challenges – Reuse/recycle

• What can be reused and recycled?

• Criteria for reuse and recycle

• Relevant facilities and activities (Process)

• Constraint from international trade

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Challenges –Disposal

• Dilution/dispersion via isolation/containment

• Long-term management and safety

assessment

• Close to human activities

• Large volume

• Long half-lived radionuclide

• Disposal options, exempted or cleared as

non-radioactive waste

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Summary

• Scope of NORM residues

• Identification and categorization of NORM

residues

• Reuse and recycle

• Disposal options (clearance for disposal,

options of disposal)

• Broadly covered and very sensitive

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Beijing, China, 22-26 April 2013 (NORM VII)