Abstract
The first concept of geological disposal proposed in history is probably the direct disposal of high-level radioactive liquid wastes in salt formations indicated in a 1957 report [1] prepared by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The concept, however, differs considerably from today’s concept of geological disposal in that, for example, the plan in those days was to directly inject liquid waste and the time span considered was only 600 years. The basic ideas of today’s disposal systems are from the concept indicated in the so-called Polvani Report [2] in the 1970s and the KBS concept [3] developed in Sweden in the early 1980s. The basis, therefore, had been established by the end of the 1980s. Today, R&D on geological disposal systems is underway in more than 30 countries [4].
The nuclear regulatory system in Japan has been changed significantly after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident in March 2011. Descriptions in this chapter have been translated from the book originally published in Japanese before the accident, with minimal update where appropriate. The Nuclear Regulation Authority newly established after the accident has not completed its review for the guidelines and regulations established by the former Nuclear Safety Commission. In this chapter, guidelines set by the NSC have been adopted.
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Niibori, Y. (2015). Radioactive Waste Disposal. In: Nagasaki, S., Nakayama, S. (eds) Radioactive Waste Engineering and Management. An Advanced Course in Nuclear Engineering. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55417-2_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55417-2_6
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