Integrated Waste Management

This theme addresses some of the key challenges in the management of radioactive waste.

The management of radioactive waste includes mobilisation, processing, packaging, storage, transport and final disposal.

The research in this theme focuses on underpinning science and engineering in three areas of relevance to hazard reduction and decommissioning: removal of radionuclides from effluent; enhanced characterisation and modelling of the behaviour of sludges in the Sellafield ponds and silos; and development and evaluation of new wasteforms.

The aim is to develop an enhanced understanding of the materials, processes and wasteforms used in hazard reduction and decommissioning to underpin new technologies for safe and efficient management of legacy waste.

Theme Objectives:

• Develop new materials for effluent decontamination
• Demonstrate predictive modelling of sludge/slurry removal, underpinned by experimental data
• Transform understanding of radiation-driven processes in nuclear waste sludges
• Provide underpinning studies to develop innovative processes and wasteforms

Work Packages:

• New Materials and Methods for Decontamination of Effluent
• Modelling and Experiments for Understanding Pond and Silo Sludge Behaviour
• Wasteform Science

This theme addresses the UK’s spent nuclear fuel inventory, and the preferred options for disposal. This includes the retrieval of fuel from current storage facilities and the repackaging options available.