Thermal treatment for radioactive waste minimisation and hazard reduction: overview and summary of the EC THERAMIN project

Abstract

The EC THERAMIN project aimed to identify which wastes could benefit from thermal treatment, which treatment technologies are under development in participating countries, and how these could be combined to deliver a wide range of benefits. Thermal pre-treatment or immobilisation processes result in significant volume reduction, waste passivation and destruction of organic materials, which reduces risks during waste storage and supports development of safety cases for geological disposal. This paper presents the key conclusions from the project. The potential for thermal treatment of European radioactive waste streams was evaluated and a “Value Assessment” framework was developed to assist in decision making, taking into account all stages of the waste management lifecycle. An overview is given of the strategy followed in performing demonstration trials and subsequent waste product characterisation for a range of waste groups. Case studies for select demonstrator-waste group combinations provide information about these processes in greater depth, including details about the treatment technique, resulting waste product and its characterisation, and disposability implications. Finally, the key conclusions from the project are summarised.