Nuclear industry generates radioactive waste posing long-term risks to both human health and the environment. Consequently, addressing nuclear waste management demands sustainable solutions correlated with the different waste levels. The disposal for spent nuclear fuel entails deep geological burial. This study investigates the impact of radioactive radiation on the kerogen bearing rocks of the Ghareb formation. It aims to assess the feasibility of establishing a deep burial site for spent fuel in the Yamin Plain, the sole authorized disposal area for radioactive waste in Israel. Given that the study site comprises kerogen bearing rocks from the Ghareb formation, rich in organic matter and sulfur, understanding the kerogen's reactivity in the presence of radioactive radiation becomes paramount.

The experimental framework involves radiation experiments simulating waste burial conditions, with a particular focus on water-saturated versus non-saturated environments to mimic natural rock states. A Cobalt-60 source emitting gamma radiation serves as the radiation source. After irradiation, both gases and residual rocks will be sampled and analyzed using a Micro-GC 9900 and Rock-Eval 7S, respectively. Gaseous products will be transferred via a discharge system to the micro-Gas Chromatograph, enabling the separation, identification, and quantification of hydrocarbons and other gases such as CO, CO₂, and H₂S. Geochemical analysis of the source and residual rocks will be performed using the Rock-Eval 7S device, which determines various parameters of the rock and kerogen through ramped pyrolysis followed by ramped oxidation.

Preliminary results from water free experiments detected gases such as CO, CO₂, methane, ethane, n-propane, n-butane, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen in concentrations ranging from 10 ppm to 10,000 ppm by volume. Future work will focus on analyzing water-saturated versus non-saturated environments and geochemical analyses of the source and residual rocks.