Moltex announces waste recycling breakthrough

31 October 2023

Laboratory experiments carried out using simulated fuel have substantially derisked the Waste To Stable Salt - or WATSS - process, and experiments using real used fuel are currently ongoing.

(Image: ElasticComputeFarm from Pixabay)

WATSS is part of a suite of reactor technologies that are being developed by Moltex Energy Canada that can be deployed individually or jointly: the Stable Salt Reactor - Wasteburner (SSR-W), a fast reactor that uses recycled nuclear waste as fuel; the WATSS recycling process; and GridReserve thermal energy storage tanks. Together, these allow the generation of inexpensive electricity that can be dispatched as needed, complementing intermitent renewable sources such as wind and solar, the company says.

The experiments in Moltex's own uranium-licensed laboratory were carried out using simulated fuel made of uranium dioxide and cerium oxide proportional to levels found in used nuclear fuel: the use of cerium oxide as an analogue to transuranic oxides is supported by literature and thermodynamic modelling. Building from these studies, experiments in secure hot cells at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories facilities are now under way, using "real" used fuel from Candu reactors.

"These important experiments not only demonstrate the viability of our waste recycling technology but also reaffirm our unwavering commitment to developing clean energy solutions that combat climate change," Moltex CEO Rory O'Sullivan said.

The company is also currently in discussions with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to formalise a service agreement to help facilitate a bilateral dialogue on its used fuel recycling design.

CNSC completed the first phase of the pre-licensing vendor design review of the SSR-W in 2021, and the design has now reached a technology readiness level that "inspires confidence in its feasibility and economic viability", allowing the technical team to reallocate resources towards optimising the WATSS process, Moltex said. This strategic refocus is supported by Moltex partners AtkinsRéalis and IDOM, it added.

The company said it is planning to deploy the first WATSS unit at the Point Lepreau site in New Brunswick, where it has also plans to deploy the first SSR-W by the early 2030s. NB Power's existing Candu reactor at Point Lepreau is expected to retire around 2040.

"Waste recycling is poised to be a game-changer in the nuclear industry, offering a cost-effective and socially acceptable solution to reducing global waste stockpiles prior to final disposal," it said.

Construction under way of new Dutch radwaste facility

31 October 2023

Work has begun on the Multifunctional Storage Building (MOG) - a new storage building for low and intermediate-level waste - in Nieuwdorp, in the municipality of Borssele, in the Netherlands, the Central Organisation for Radioactive Waste (Covra) announced.

The pilings in place for the new MOG facility (Image: Covra)

The order to begin construction of the MOG was given and the first bored pile was driven into the ground on 22 September, Covra said. All 438 bored piles for the MOG have now all been installed.

Covra applied to the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) in August 2022 for a permit change under the Nuclear Energy Act to construct the MOG facility. Among the documents submitted by Covra along with the permit application were an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and a supplement to its safety report. ANVS granted the final permit to Covra in June this year. Covra subsequently applied for and obtained a building permit from the municipality of Borssele.

Completion of the new storage building - plans for which were announced by Covra in March 2021 - is expected in 2025.

The new storage building is mainly intended for the storage of historical radioactive waste that is currently stored on the site of medical isotope producer NRG in Petten. Future decommissioning waste from nuclear installations in the Netherlands will also be placed in the MOG. The current processing and storage at Covra is not yet suitable for this, Covra said. The new building - designed for the storage of drums of radioactive waste in special stackable storage containers - will provide sufficient storage capacity until 2050.

The 2400-square-metre MOG will have a repacking area where drums with radioactive waste will be packed from the transport container into the storage container. These stackable storage containers will also be used for final storage. Covra said the building will also be made suitable for waste that it currently receives and which could possibly be processed and packaged in a different way in the future with a view to disposal.

MOG - designed for a lifespan of at least 100 years - will be able to accommodate 4000 cubic metres of radioactive waste. The building has been designed in such a way that the storage capacity can easily be expanded later.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News