State of the art of fusion material recycling and remaining issues

Abstract

One of the safety and environmental advantages of fusion is the limited amount of long lived generated radioactive waste which might be a burden for future generations. But even if fusion produces little, if any, long term waste there are two important aspects deserving consideration: the large amounts of tritium contamination and of neutron activated materials. Recycling has been proposed as a means to keep radioactive waste levels to a minimum, after adequate decay period and proper handling and treatment. Treatment includes detritiation, separation and sorting of different materials, among others. Moreover if recycling or reuse are foreseen, processes for reuse and refabrication have to be made on an industrial scale. Even if some experience on recycling exists in the nuclear fission industry which can be used for fusion materials, differences arise due to tritium contamination and levels of activation. This paper presents a review of the current situation and state-of-the-art recycling methods for typical materials and components of fusion plants based on current conceptual design studies. It focuses attention on R&D issues to be addressed in order to be able to recycle as much material as possible in a safe, economical and environmentally friendly manner. Recycling of fusion materials is a huge challenge and presents important spin-offs for the fusion industry. Solutions and routes to follow should be developed as soon as possible in order to tackle this important issue as it arises.