Methodology development for volume reduction and safe storage and disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes

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Canada relies on nuclear power to provide a significant proportion of its clean, non-carbon-emitting energy, and has an enviable record for safe operation of nuclear power plants and storage of the nuclear waste that they produce. Waste is currently stored at the sites where it is generated, but strategies for its long-term storage or disposal are being developed. For low and intermediate level wastes (L & ILW), which do not include spent nuclear fuel, Ontario Power Generation plans to use a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) which will safely store the waste deep underground in impermeable rock. Existing L & ILW wastes will be stored in the repository, as well as new wastes generated from continuing power plant operations and decommissioning and refurbishment of reactors.**This project is designed to support the DGR operation by addressing two important aspects: the need to reduce the volumes of waste stored in the DGR, and the need to package the waste so that it can be safely and efficiently transported, and safely held in the DGR in the 60-100 years that it will operate before it is permanently sealed. The first part of the project will explore methods for decontaminating the surfaces of metallic wastes, so that the radioactive surface contaminants can be separated from the bulk metal. The second part of the project will investigate the use of geopolymers for the containment of certain types of wastes. Geopolymers are mechanically tough composites that can be produced from existing industrial waste materials, and are expected to contain the radioactive waste in a way that minimizes the leaching out of radioactive components, and the generation of gases that can cause the materials to swell or fracture. **This project will produce new scientific knowledge that will allow the volumes of wastes stored in the DGR to be reduced, and ensure certain types of waste are more safely contained. This research will therefore allow the costs of the DGR project to be minimized, and the short, medium, and long-term safety of the project to be augmented.******************