Description
Organic material, in particular cellulose, degrades under alkaline conditions. Among the degradation products, there are potent complexants for radioelements, in particular isosaccharinic acid (ISA) may increase the mobility of some radionuclides under alkaline conditions. Since not all the cellulose is available for degradation and since ISA sorbs strongly on cement, the effects on radionuclide mobility are limited. Since cellulose contents in ILW wastes are low, only small effects on long term safety are expected. Problematic wastes containing complexants are segregated into ILW-2.
OPA Category
Category as used in the OPA assessment
OPA Number
Number as used in the OPA assessment
Waste Relevance
Classes of waste to which this FEP is relevant
NEA V1 IFEP Reference(s)
Related IFEPs from the NEA V1 IFEP list from 1999