Green Chemistry and its Application in Radioactive Wastes
Green chemistry, by way of definition, refers to the chemical sciences approach that aims to eliminate waste as well as efficiently utilizing renewable raw materials. It avoids the use of hazardous and toxic solvent and reagents in the application and manufacture of chemical products. In green chemistry, the environmental impact is taken into account as the discipline seeks to lessen or prevent the effect through a variety of vital principles (Anastas and Eghbali 301). Most importantly, the principles of green chemistry can be applied to radioactive waste in several ways.
Application of Green Chemistry Principles in Radioactive Wastes
In radioactive wastes, the green chemistry principles are applied for the processes of conditioning and treatment that are used for converting a wide range of hazardous materials into suitable forms for their subsequent management. In particular, the following management includes storage, transportation, and final disposal (Daglen and Tyler 69). These green chemistry principles aim at minimizing the radioactive waste volumes that require management through processes of treatment. Also, the green chemistry principles play a vital role in reducing the potential radioactive waste by conditioning it into a solid form that is stable for its immobilization and provision of containment.
Worth noting, the quantity of radioactivity remains the same while the processes of treatment such as incineration and compaction result in the reduction of the volume of waste. Operations of a condition such as cementation are helpful in converting radioactive waste into a solid that is stable. As a result, the solid becomes insoluble thus preventing dispersion to the surrounding environment (Anastas and Eghbali 304). Typically, the systematic approach incorporates immobilizing the waste through mixing with a material of matrix. A suitable matrix material has to be identified. Specifically, these materials include bitumen, cement, and borosilicate or polymers glass.
The main aim of the green chemistry principles is to prevent waste rather than heating it. Also, all the new materials have to be incorporated into the final product. A suitable chemical product should be designed to help reduce the level of toxicity. Green chemical principles also advocate for the use of the processes of energy efficiency. In this case, renewable raw materials have to be considered. Overall, industries should consider using clean production technologies (Anastas and Eghbali 307).
Feedback
For sure, the knowledge of green chemistry principles has helped me a lot in expanding my understating of the scientific method regarding the radioactive wastes. As at now, I am much aware that in radioactive wastes, the green chemistry principles are applied by first selecting procedures and reagents that aims at minimizing the toxicity and volume of all the wastes. If feasible, experiments are designed in a way that helps in the generation of radioactive wastes separately from either biologically or chemically toxic or hazardous materials (Daglen and Tyler 71).
However, certain things need to be done differently. In the first place, the radioactive materials that exceed their intended use should not be ordered by any industries. In the same way, one should not consider mixing of the radioactive with the nonradioactive waste. The qunatity and activity of the waste generated should be reduced considerably. Also, the number of the volumes of the radioactive materials should be considered. Another good practice is to replace chemical solvents that are hazardous with the one that is environmentally friendly (Anastas and Eghbali 312). All in all, green chemistry principles is the only solution for the impact of radioactive wastes.
Works Cited
Anastas, Paul, and Nicolas Eghbali. "Green Chemistry: Principles and Practice." Chem. Soc. Rev., vol. 39, no. 1, 2010, pp. 301-312. Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), doi: 10.1039/b918763b.
Daglen, Bevin C., and David R. Tyler. "Photodegradable Plastics: End-Of-Life Design Principles." Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews, vol. 3, no. 2, 2010, pp. 69-82. Informa UK Limited, doi: 10.1080/17518250903506723.
