Extracting Wealth from Waste - Valorisation of Decommissioning Debris - 23397

The nuclear industry is literally throwing money away. Many of the bulk materials generated from nuclear dismantling and decommissioning activities could be recycled and reused within (and external to) the nuclear programme. To illustrate the benefit of reassigning our view and mind-set of waste and the inherent value associated with these materials; four high-level examples of waste re-imagined are presented. These examples have been selected to represent the breadth of ways in which decommissioning derived materials can be regarded as an asset rather than a waste and how these materials have a purpose in some cases beyond the nuclear sector. Furthermore, with the role that nuclear plays in supporting carbon net zero initiatives, sustainability in its widest sense, incorporating resource utilisation, socioeconomic benefits and environmental impact are key aspects demonstrating the industries commitment to preserving resources. The four areas selected which are developed within this paper are: - Re-use of decommissioning metals; - Re-purposing of decommissioning bulk aggregate on de-planted nuclear sites; - Isotopic extraction from back-end nuclear materials; - Rare -earth extraction for high-technology applications. The enablers, benefits and obstacles of re-using and re-purposing decommissioning materials is discussed. Furthermore, aspects beyond waste valorisation, i.e. extracting value from waste materials is explored in the context of the circular economy and sustainability as a whole addressing carbon footprint, resource utilisation, environmental impact and socioeconomic aspects. There are practical and strategic actions required to prevent the nuclear industry from throwing away money, key areas for consideration are: - We need a holistic approach across industry and across the different high-tech industries - There are immediate examples of where we can evaluate the scale and viability of opportunities internal and external to the nuclear industry - There is a commercial and moral imperative in valorising waste. (author)