Safe, efficient cementation of challenging radioactive wastes using alkali activated materials with high-flowability and high-anion retention capacity

在这个项目中，我们将合作开发、优化和扩大新型高性能地聚合物水泥，用于固化福岛第一核电站清理和修复过程中产生的污泥废物。这些废物含有复杂和有问题的放射性元素组合，目前储存在容器中，等待最后处理（调节）。在废物处理之前，它们必须转化为固体形式，但是通常用于此目的的传统水泥混合物需要修改或改进，以便它们能够提供适当的性能，使废物安全。出于这个原因，我们将开发、优化和扩大一套定制的、创新的地聚合物型水泥，由铝硅酸盐粘土生产，具有出色的流动性和混合特性，使它们能够完全有效地固化污泥，并具有出色的长期性能，以防止固定放射性物质的释放。我们将确定控制地聚合物水泥与富铁污泥结合的材料科学和化学的关键新的基础科学方面，这将带来对这些材料的新理解，也可以转移到地聚合物水泥在核和非核应用中的其他用途。我们将与工业界合作，以足够大的规模示范这些材料及其使用的相关流程，以验证在福岛清理工作中直接使用这种新流程。这样，我们将利用先进的材料科学造福子孙后代。

In this project, we will collaboratively develop, optimise and scale-up new high-performing geopolymer cements for use in the solidification of sludge wastes that have been generated in the Fukushima Daiichi cleanup and remediation process. These wastes contain a complicated and problematic combination of radioactive elements, and are currently stored in containers awaiting final treatment (conditioning). Before the wastes can be disposed, they must be converted to a solid form, but the conventional cement blends that would usually be used for this purpose require modification or improvement so that they can give appropriate performance in making the wastes safe. For this reason, we will develop, optimise, and scale-up a set of bespoke, innovative geopolymer-type cements, produced from aluminosilicate clays, to give excellent fluidity and mixing characteristics that will enable them to be fully effective in solidifying the sludges, and outstanding performance in the long-term to prevent the release of immobilised radioactive materials. We will determine key new fundamental scientific aspects that control the materials science and chemistry of geopolymer cements in combination with iron-rich sludges, which will bring new understanding of these materials that can also be transferred to benefit other uses of geopolymer cements in nuclear and non-nuclear applications. We will work in partnership with industry to demonstrate these materials, and the associated processes for their usage, at a scale that is large enough to validate the use of this new procedure directly in the Fukushima cleanup operations. In this way, we will use advanced materials science to benefit future generations.