WAYS OF DEALING WITH WATER TREATMENT WASTE (LIME SLUDGE) FROM THE RIVNE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Abstract

This article highlights the issue of waste management from water treatment (lime sludge) at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, where more than 250,000 tons of waste have been generated and are stored at permanent and temporary waste storage sites. In the current situation, with the entry into force of the Law of Ukraine “On Waste Management” No. 2320-IX of June 20, 2022, the issue of effective management of these water treatment wastes is acute, because waste storage – the retention of waste at collection facilities, including until its treatment – is permitted by law for no more than one year from the moment of its formation. The main changes in the Law regarding the waste management hierarchy were considered, where the priority is to prevent the generation of waste as such. The next priority measures, after prevention of generation, are the preparation of waste for reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal. An analysis of the technological process of lime sludge formation from water purification (clarification) was conducted, which justifies its accumulation, primarily due to the continuity of water treatment processes during electricity generation and the long-term operation of the power-generating enterprise. A new category defined in the Law of Ukraine “On Waste Management” as “by-products” was studied separately. It was taken from EU Directive No. 2008/98/EU, according to which substances and objects that are formed in the process of producing one product and are suitable for the production of another are recognized as by-products when a number of criteria are met. The conditions under which it is possible to transfer water treatment waste (lime sludge) to by-products are considered. The relevance of the study lies in the significant changes in the current legislation in the field of waste management and the search for ways to handle water treatment waste (lime sludge) from the Rivne NPP in today's reality.