Management of the UK’s nuclear waste presents a major challenge to
current and future generations of scientists and technologists, and to
existing infrastructure and institutional arrangements. Young
researchers entering the field now and over the next four decades will
need to build and communicate an integrated understanding of the
multi-scale processes involved in the processing, packaging, disposal
and regulation of a wide variety of materials designated as nuclear
waste. The context of this work is evolving rapidly – the Radioactive
Waste Management Directorate of the NDA (Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority) has now published its R&D strategy, and CoRWM (the
Committee on Radioactive Waste Management) has issued its reports to the
UK government on R&D and on the geological disposal programme.
This conference addressed key questions for the next generation of
nuclear waste researchers. What are the emerging research priorities,
and what progress is being made? How are those in historically distinct
disciplines to work together to address new challenges? What skills are
required for research and delivery of a geological disposal programme,
and how can funding and implementation bodies be configured to encourage
talented scientists to build long-term careers in this area?
The dual focus – on cutting edge research and the need to build
communities to meet new skills needs – attracted a diverse audience,
especially those in the early stages of their careers, not only from
universities and research institutes, but also from industry,
government, regulators and other institutions. The Mineralogical and
Geological societies encouraged members of other learned societies and
professional bodies to be involved in shaping the conference programme,
and to make it truly multi-disciplinary.
The speakers were supported through generous contributions by the
Geological Society and the Mineralogical, and by the Applied Mineralogy
Group, the Geochemistry Group, the Environmental Mineralogy Group and
the Mineral Physics Group.
Characterization of wastes
- radiochemical and material characterization of nuclear wastes, unpackaged and encapsulated
Stabilization of high level wastes (glasses, ceramics)
- vitrification, ceramics, novel mineral matrices
- alteration and secondary phases
- dissolution of radionuclides from spent fuel and wasteforms
- radiolysis effects
Hallimond Lecturer: Rod Ewing (University of Michigan)
Long-term behaviour of engineered barriers (containers, buffers, backfills) in geological conditions
- biogeochemical conditions in the EBS
- stability of clay buffers
- cementitious backfills and grouts
- thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical (THMC) interactions
Keynote speaker: Andy Felmy, Pacific Northwest National Labs, USA
Retention, retardation and reactive transport of radionuclides
- sorption processes on mineral surfaces and rock matrix, co-precipitation
- petrographic and mineralogic fabric of transport pathways
- biogeochemical effects on speciation and transport
- nanoparticle stability and mobility in the geosphere
- laboratory and field experiments, upscaling of processes and parameters
Keynote speakers: Francis Livens, Manchester, B. Kienzler, Karlsruhe
Total system performance, models and uncertainties
- performance models of engineered barriers
- long-term evolution of near field conditions
- models of radionuclide transport and retention
- long-term geosphere scenarios
- natural analogues of long-term retention in the geosphere
Keynote speaker: Scott Painter, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
Skills/training/careers
- panel-led discussion on skills, research communities, research priorities and career options.
Panel members: Graham Fairhall (National Nuclear Laboratory), Sarah
Vines (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority); others to be added to this
group.