Review Article

Thermal treatment for radioactive waste minimisation

¹ VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Tietotie 4C, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
² Galson Sciences Ltd, 5, Grosvenor House, Melton Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6AX, UK
³ CEA, DEN, DE2D, SEVT, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
⁴ National Nuclear Laboratory, Sellafield, Seascale CA20 1PG, UK
⁵ Department of Materials Science & Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
⁶ Waste Packages and Material Department, R&D Division, Andra, 1-7 rue Jean Monnet, 92298 Châtenay-Malabry cedex, France

^* e-mail: matti.nieminen@vtt.fi

Received: 12 March 2019
Accepted: 18 September 2019
Published online: 5 May 2020

Abstract

Safe management of radioactive waste is challenging to waste producers and waste management organisations. Deployment of thermal treatment technologies can provide significant improvements: volume reduction, waste passivation, organics destruction, safety demonstration facilitation, etc. The EC-funded THERAMIN project enables an EU-wide strategic review and assessment of the value of thermal treatment technologies applicable to Low and Intermediate Level waste streams (ion exchange media, soft operational waste, sludges, organic waste, and liquids). THERAMIN compiles an EU-wide database of wastes, which could be treated by thermal technologies and documents available thermal technologies. Applicability and benefits of technologies to the identified waste streams will be evaluated through full-scale demonstration tests by project partners. Safety case implications will also be assessed through the study of the disposability of thermally treated waste products. This paper will communicate the strategic aims of the ongoing project and highlight some key findings and results achieved to date.