Radiochemical characterization of spent filter cartridges from the primary circuit of a research reactor

Radiochemical-based analyses have been used for the characterization of radioactive waste. Nevertheless, the determination of alpha, beta and gamma emitters by radiochemical analysis of spent cartridge filters from a swimming-pool type reactor has not been previously addressed. This work aims at identifying and quantifying the radionuclides present in this waste, including the difficult to measure radionuclides. The distribution of the radionuclides in the filter was investigated by the determination of gamma-emitting nuclides and the z-score of the measured activity concentrations. The results indicated that all the filters are homogeneous, meeting the homogeneity criteria recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency.