Advanced Radioactive Waste Treatment using Nanostructured Hybrid Composites (NaSHC).

英国核设施的运行产生了各种各样的废物，其中许多是含水液体。这些废物虽然放射性核素含量相对较低，但在被丢弃到环境中之前需要经过处理。这些放射性核素包括裂变产物和次要元素，很少或根本没有铀和/或钚，因为这些元素已被Purex过程除去。英国核设施的退役将在工厂/设备的净化过程中产生大量的液体废物。尽管除污液仅限于硝酸、柠檬酸和氢氧化钠，因为这些材料与建筑材料兼容，但在必要时可使用其他专有材料。这种液体的种类导致了各种处理技术，其中一些使这些处理过的液体无法回收，增加了废物管理的影响。来自这些处理过的液体的固体材料在考虑处置之前需要进一步处理。我们的计划将开发纳米结构杂化材料，这种材料对各种裂变产物和能够在酸性和碱性溶液中发挥作用的辐系元素具有高亲和力。合成路线的一个关键特征将是制备低成本的材料，这些材料对酸或碱稳定，并具有高容量，以最大限度地减少处理这些液体废物所需的量。到目前为止，科学家们一直未能制备出低成本的纳米材料，因此它们的使用受到了限制。第二个关键特征将是选择纳米材料的适当功能，以区分将在专有去污液体中发现的候选放射性核素和非放射性核素。制备路线的第三个关键特征将是内置固/液分离技术；将采用的一种技术是铁氧体磁芯，从而允许通过磁场完成分离。预计这些纳米材料可以就地使用，从而防止液体中放射性的积累。最终结果是一个综合的清理过程，不仅在现场消除污染，而且同样重要的是产生一种最终产品，可以被纳入现有的封装技术中，如粘合或玻璃化，以供最终处置。

The operation of the UK nuclear facilities gives rise to various and diverse wastes, many are aqueous liquids. These wastes although comparatively dilute in radionuclides require treatment before they can be discarded into the environment. These radionuclides include fission products and minor actinides, little or no uranium and/or plutonium as these actinides have been removed by the PUREX process. Decommissioning of the UK's nuclear facilities will generate significantly larger volumes of liquid wastes from the decontamination of plant/equipment. Although decontamination liquors are restricted to nitric acid, citric acid and sodium hydroxide as these materials are compatible with the materials of construction other proprietary materials are used when necessary. This variety of liquids results in various treatment techniques some of which render these treated liquid unrecyclable adding to the waste management impact. Solid materials from these treated liquids require further treatment before being considered for disposal.Our programme will develop nano-structured hybrid materials that have high affinities for various fission products and actinides that can function in acid and alkaline solutions. One key feature of the synthetic route will be the preparation of low cost materials that are stable to acid or alkali and have high capacities to minimise the quantity needed to treat these liquid wastes. Preparation of low cost nano materials has eluded scientists to date and therefore accounts for their restricted use. The second key feature will be selecting the appropriate functionality of the nano material to discriminate between candidate radionuclides and non radionuclides that will be found in proprietary decontamination liquids. The third key feature of the preparative route will be to in-build a solid/ liquid separation technology; one technique that will be incorporated is a ferrite core thus allowing the separation to be accomplished by a magnetic field. It is envisaged that these nano materials could be used in-situ thus preventing a build up of radioactivity in the liquid.The net result is an integrated clean up process that removes contamination in situ but also and equally important produces an end-product that can be accommodated into existing encapsulation techniques such as cementation or vitrification for final disposal.