Heavy metal partitioning in a nuclear waste treatment plant

The fate of different trace elements and radio nuclides in the new ZWILAG nuclear waste treatment plant (Switzerland) has been modelled, in order to predict and check the transport behaviour of the volatile species and their distribution in the plant. Calculations show that for active waste from medicine, industry, research (MIR waste) only Zn and Cs have stable gaseous species at 1200°C. The investigations confirm the efficiency of the examined flue gas cleaning system.