Method for net decrease of hazardous radioactive nuclear waste materials. [Thermal neutron irradiation of long-lived radionuclides to produce stable nuclides and short-lived radionuclides]

A method of decreasing the amount of relatively long lived fission products in radioactive waste materials in excess of that due to their natural radioactive decay by producing relatively short lived radioactive nuclides and stable nuclides from the relatively long lived fission products is described comprising the steps of: (a) separating the fission products into at least (1) physically separate groups, and (2) relatively short lived fission product radioactive nuclides and stable nuclides; (b) storing the relatively short lived radioactive nuclides and stable nuclides; (c) exposing at least the groups containing Kr/sup 85/, Sr/sup 90/, Zr/sup 93/, Tc/sup 99/, Pd/sup 107/, I/sup 129/, Cs/sup 135/, Sm/sup 151/ + Eu, and actinides, to a high thermal neutron flux for separate, different predetermined periods of time selected in accordance with the long lived fission product nuclide in the corresponding group for inducing predetermined transformations of the relatively long lived fission product nuclides to produce relatively short lived radioactive nuclides and stable nuclides; (d) removing each exposed group containing the produced relatively short lived radioactive nuclides and stable nuclides from the high thermal neutron flux; (e) separating the removed group into (1) the produced short lived radioactive nuclides and stable nuclides, and (2)more » a plurality of further groups having long lived fission product nuclides respectively corresponding to at least some of the long lived fission product nuclides or the groups of step (a); (f) storing the produced short lived radioactive nuclides and stable nuclides; (g) joining at least one of the further groups to at least one of the groups of step (a) having a corresponding long lived fission product nuclide.« less