International Cooperation on Predisposal Waste Management Innovation in the Predis Project, Addressing Technology Gaps and Common Industrial Challenges

Euratom has initiated a cooperative research project aimed at developing and improving, safer treatment and conditioning methodologies and processes for wastes. The project "PREDIS: Pre-Disposal Management of Radioactive Waste" develops novel methods and technologies to improve handling of low-level and intermediate level radioactive wastes. The project focuses on treatment of metallic materials, liquid organic waste and solid organic waste, which are generated in nuclear power plant operation, decommissioning and other industrial processes. PREDIS project also develops digitalisation solutions to improve safety and efficiency when handling and assessing cemented-waste packages for extended interim surface storage. An example of this is the use of digital twins and artificial intelligence for big data mining from non-destructive evaluation methods. Through all of these pre-disposal treatment activities, waste acceptance criteria are a critical parameter for optimising the safe and efficient handling and minimisation of wastes over the whole life cycle, from cradle to grave. The PREDIS project will produce tools guiding decision-making on the added-value of the developed technologies and their impact on the design, safety, environmental impact and economics of pre-disposal waste management and future disposal. It is anticipated that the project results will be close to implementation by the end user community, which is ensured through their active involvement with the partners and the co-funding structure of this EC project. The project's Strategic Research Agenda will highlight needs for future technology development, investments and needs also from the perspectives of competence development and preservation of knowledge. This paper highlights the achievements of the first year, including the detailed gap analysis and baseline strategic research agenda. The overviews about technical innovation activities from each waste stream will be presented, along with information on strategic studies relevant to all issues such as Waste Acceptance Criteria, environmental indicators and economic assessments of the improved technologies. (author)