National Nuclear User Facility: Radioactive Waste Disposal and Environmental Remediation (RADER).

The ability to handle and characterise complex environmental samples which are radioactive lies at the heart of nuclear decommissioning and radioactive waste management research yet there is a paucity of such facilities in the UK. Central to the study of these materials is the ability to access a range of instruments to allow characterisation of their radiological and environmental characteristics across a wide range of techniques including radiometric, solution and solids analysis. In addition, facilities which allow radioactive sample manipulation under controlled conditions, and radioactive sample preparation for optimal sample analysis are core to enabling high quality research.
In the NNUF2 facility RADER, we will enable environmental radioactivity research by creating a suite of laboratories dedicated to radioactive sample handling and environmental analysis. Notably, the dedicated characterisation instrumentation in RADER will be able to accept materials with a range of radionuclides. This unique facility will allow straightforward access to analyses which are currently unavailable in the UK community for radioactive samples. RADER will also work with other NNUF2 user capabilities to analyse radioactive, environmental samples at the atomic scale (using electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques) and to allow e.g. irradiation of samples in the study of the impacts of radiation chemistry on radionuclide speciation and fate. In combination with the RADER capabilities, this will allow seamless analysis of complex environmental samples from the atomic, through the microscopic and bulk structure, essential if we are to build robust mechanistic understanding of radionuclide behaviour in engineered and natural environments to underpin radioactive waste management and environmental remediation research.
RADER will enable environmental radioactivity research from model experimental systems focussed on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of effluent treatment and microbial interactions in high hazard spent nuclear fuel ponds, through contaminated site studies focussed on understanding transport of radionuclides in the shallow sub-surface over decadal timescales, and including work on radionuclide mobility in the subsurface relating to deep geological disposal of higher activity radioactive wastes. It will also enable us to work with authentic, radioactive site materials and samples to further understand long term speciation and fate in engineered and natural environments. The research outputs from this new world class capability will underpin national efforts in radioactive waste disposal and environmental remediation at a critical time.

RADER will provide a state-of-the-art facility for characterising radioactive materials using radiometric and environmental analytical techniques and allowing improved understanding of radionuclide speciation and fate in engineered and natural environments. This will provide immediate benefit to the RADER user community who have had highly restricted environmental analytical capabilities for radioactive samples.

RADER fully aligns with the priorities of the Nuclear Sector Deal, as a critical enabler for reduction in decommissioning costs, and the Clean Growth Grand Challenge, as an enabler of safe, sustainable and low carbon nuclear energy generation.

Users will benefit from the state-of-the-art RADER laboratories and equipment which are designed to handle and analyse radioactive samples relevant to engineered and natural environments. This will enable translational research across academia and industry with input from, and relevance to key stakeholders.

Industry stakeholders will benefit from improved understanding, awareness and capacity to undertake RADER related research activity in the UK community. Examples of impact enabled by RADER include: improvements to effluent treatment plant operations leading to environmental benefit; improvements to management of radioactively contaminated sites for example new technologies to treat mobile contaminants leading to environmental benefit, or new understanding of long term fate of radionuclides enabling optimal site management leading to economic benefit; improved characterisation of nuclear materials leading to improved understanding of nuclear security issues; and new understanding of radionuclide speciation and fate in radioactive waste management underpinning the UKs forward programmes in low, intermediate and high level waste disposal.