Application of Recycled Concrete Material for the Immobilization of Radioactive Waste

Decommissioning activities of nuclear facilities usually result in a large quantity of Recycled Concrete Material (RCM). To date, 30 Magnox reactors on 11 sites have been closed down in the UK, 8 AGR on 4 sites are due to be closed down within 5 years, and remaining 6 AGR on 3 sites by 2030. If RCM could be repurposed rather than disposed as radioactive waste, for example for cementation of ILW and/or LLW, it would allow for offsetting some of the virgin cement consumption and the associated carbon footprint, as well as contributing to the reduction the RCM stockpiles to manage at SLCs.

This project investigates the feasibility of using Recycled Concrete Material (RCM) generated in the decommissioning activities for nuclear waste encapsulation in order to minimise the use of Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) and Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) in cementation. The utilisation of RCM is meaningful particularly under the constraints on current and future supply of the supplemental cementitious materials such as BFS and PFA, due to their reducing availability in the future. Once established, RCM could offer an alternative and secure source of materials for the future management (cementation) of radioactive waste with minimal constraints on the supply of raw materials caused by the external industrial situation.